


The Found

by ladymacbethsspot



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Explicit Sexual Content, M/M, Mythology References, absurd amounts of vaguely off scenery and too much time spent in liminal spaces
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-08-03 01:10:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 32,398
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16316249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladymacbethsspot/pseuds/ladymacbethsspot
Summary: Levi is a second-shift welder well-acquainted with the night. He works, he goes to Waffle House, he sleeps- not a bad deal all things considered.Until his routine is violently interrupted by a pack of unexplained monsters hell-bent on ruining a perfectly good meal.





	1. Gungnir

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Erwin Week 2018 for the Day 3 Prompt: Mystic (myths, monsters, or omegaverse). I'm clearly going with the first two. 
> 
> This work is most likely to eventually contain 4 chapters. There will be smut and gratuitous fight scenes. It's entirely possible that I shouldn't watch so much Twin Peaks.

There were only two Waffle Houses in the state of New Mexico, and for the last five years not a day had gone by that Levi didn’t count himself lucky that he lived close enough to choose between them. He preferred the one by the airport- fewer people. Not that there were ever many people at 11:30 pm on a weekday night.

That was how he liked it, though- quiet.

He didn’t have to tell anyone what he wanted, just slid onto the high chair by the counter and nodded when the cook acknowledged him. Levi had become a creature of habit, and these were his habits: wake up, work second shift welding at the tool and die company, eat at Waffle House, sleep. Sometimes he put in overtime, most times he didn’t bother. Sometimes he hung around at Isabel’s garage and helped out, or shot the shit with her and Farlan like in the old days. Most times he didn’t bother.

Levi stared at the stainless-steel shelf and fan above the griddle. It was covered in shimmering patches and brown stains, seasoned with a fine layer from endless grease and the oily steam it sucked off the fryers. His fingers twitched, the urge to clean it momentarily painful as he made himself look away. After being kicked out plenty of times in the past, he’d finally reached an uneasy peace with the cook and didn’t want to mess it up. Instead he stared out the windows, scanning the motel next door, eyes running along the closed doors and drawn shades.

It was quiet. Only the metal on metal of the cook’s aggressive griddle technique and the faint hum of fluorescent lights reached him. Occasionally a car or truck would drive by the road in front- a three-lane monstrosity paved with optimistic airport money but seldom busy enough to warrant such fanfare. The potatoes sizzled, their crackle piquing Levi’s appetite as he stared absently out the window into the blackness of the night, his vision limited to what streetlights and signs lit. Clacks and scrapes signaled the additions to his hash browns, and the sweet, savory scent of onion made his mouth water. He could almost imagine it, browning quickly on the hot griddle, curling as it shrank and softened, becoming one with the shaved potatoes. Smothered, chunked, and peppered, Levi never ordered cheese.

As he drifted, leaning on his elbows, letting the tiredness seep from his bones as he channeled it into the floor and counter through every point of contact his slouched body made, he let the smell of breakfast permeate.

“Order up.”

The spell was broken when the cook turned around, making Levi sit straighter and look up from where he’d been staring into the nearly-empty motel parking lot. A plain ceramic plate clunked onto the fake wood finish in front of him, containing everything he’d been waiting for: 3 eggs over easy and a pile of hash browns with jalapenos, onions, and the occasional chunk of ham. Not one to stand on ceremony, Levi dug in.

One of the best things about eating alone was that you didn’t have to slow down for anyone, and Levi shoveled crispy potatoes into his mouth like he was on a mission. He broke the lucid, trembling yolks and swiped a forkful of potato through the pooling yellow, coating it before it reached his mouth. The food was warm, homey in a no-frills way that he appreciated. Sure, Levi could cook some of this for himself, but after a long shift it was the single luxury he allowed himself, and he made it count. The task of chewing and swallowing was a worthy one, one that he dedicated himself to more seriously as the initial rush of hunger started to ebb. 

Passing trucks shone their high-beams into the tiny eatery, infrequent in their approach. The cook milled about, a middle-aged man wiping his hands off on a stained apron to check his cell phone while the air conditioner hummed and shuddered. No one else was likely to come in, and halfway through his eggs the cook grumbled something about taking his break.

“Go ahead,” Levi said, not bothering to look up, “I won’t stop you.”

“Need a smoke. Don’t skip out on the check, you sorry S. O. B.”

“What did you say?” Levi frowned, fork pausing as he fixed the cook with a cold stare that made the man flinch. “Have I ever?” He asked quietly. The cook grumbled and shook his head. “Alright then,” Levi finished, indicating the back door with a wave of his utensil, “go have your smoke, asshole.”

The man exited, cursing under his breath but giving no indication of a real threat. When he heard the back-door slam, Levi shrugged, looking back down at his half-finished plate. “Don’t know what his problem is,” he muttered to no one. It wasn’t worth pursuing though, hardly anything was. It was late, he was tired, and the hash browns weren’t going to eat themselves. Refocusing on the task at hand, Levi began again, savoring his meal slowly as the minutes ticked by in his quiet island framed by beige tile and chrome.

He hardly noticed the return of the cook, but the cloud of cigarette smoke he brought with him made Levi wrinkle his nose for a moment. It was too much like fire, like work, the image of the bright welding torch that burnt into his vision over the hours hard enough to shake already. Shifting in his seat, Levi stretched his legs under the counter, already beginning to feel antsy from too much sitting. He wanted to be home, to unzip his coveralls and strip down to his undershirt and underwear in the privacy of his home. Dark, all lights off, he’d take a shower, letting the cool blackness of water and night finally rid him of the sweat and pulsing afterimages of the blowtorch’s heat and light.

But this first, he reminded himself, cutting the yolk of the last egg and watching it run out over his already-sticky plate. The screech of tires on the road outside didn’t shake him from his task. Rumbling and growling engines followed it, and Levi ignored the sounds from outside- probably some snot-nosed brats who’d borrowed daddy’s lifted truck and were road racing their friends with it. Lights passed over the walls, tinged purple, aftermarket shit. Some unknown number of vehicles roared nearby, engines cutting even as more joined them. Somewhere in the din Levi caught the purr of a motorcycle, and he willed them all far way where they couldn’t disturb this little bit of peace he’d carved out for himself.

The noise only got louder, more vehicles and the squeal of rubber and brakes as beams shone into the fishbowl-windowed building from its tiny parking lot, most blinking to nothing. One shone directly in like a spotlight, lighting the wall behind the cook and throwing the shadow of Levi’s head and shoulders large over the griddle. Levi didn’t bother turning around- the light would blind him anyway and he sure as shit wasn’t going to volunteer to stare into any more lights today. He chewed his potatoes slowly and took a big gulp of water, wishing the Waffle House served beer. Most of the noise stopped, and Levi took a deep breath, ready to exhale the momentary disturbance.

The slamming of doors and immediate shouts that followed from the parking lot made him wince. It was too late for this shit. He’d come here to be lonely in peace, to indulge in what little he allowed himself. The thin, hard metal of the flimsy fork dug into his palm as he squeezed it tighter and tighter, only loosening the death-grip when he felt the pain that allowed him to let go of his anger.

The volume of shouting from outside increased, pricking at his armor of manufactured calm like needles under fingernails. Levi frowned at the last few bites of potato he’d been chasing around the plate. Hoping the jackasses outside would move on, he’d convinced himself it would be okay to stall and simply wait. But the bright beams still shining into the eatery were growing tiring. Indistinct yelling and the first sounds of a fight weren’t quite muffled by glass and cinder-block. He looked up at the cook and raised an eyebrow when he saw the man. Eyes wide, the man’s arms splayed out on either side as he inched along the back wall, plastered to the refrigerator door like it was his last hope. When he caught Levi’s gaze he gave a quick nod towards the parking lot.

Levi turned in his seat, shading his eyes from the worst of the glare. Three, four, at least a half-dozen dark forms passed in front, a pantomime of negatives with quick movements paced by yells and screeches. They swarmed each other and broke apart, the scuffle impossible to follow as headlights lengthened limbs and threw up doppelgängers. Even without the confusion of the back-lighting, the sounds the shadows made were unearthly. Bellows and shrills, half in registers that made Levi’s jaw ache and his ears ring- the action outside had become deafening with only the thin pane of glass as a barrier.

“I’d call the cops,” the cook hissed, “but I don’t think they’d get here for a half hour at least- and even if they did come…” Levi gave a curt nod. He knew what the man meant; lots of folks out here preferred to keep the law as far away from their business as possible, for peace of mind. The man was probably right, smart at least. The cooling final bites of hash were no longer calling to him, and Levi crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair, resigning himself to wait it out.

He saw the cook’s arms come up a second before it happened. A howl, blood-curdling, and a crack, finally stabbing through- leaving one single chink in Levi’s armor. For a long moment the howl warbled and was joined by a high-pitched squeak. Glass, complaining, straining as it was forced over itself, a nails-on-chalkboard edge running up the long pane and-

BANG

-it exploded. Shards rained into the restaurant. Large and small, the whole window blowing inwards. Sharp diamonds shone in the night. The howl reached an overwhelming volume and then cut off in a _whump_ of impact.

The cook stood frozen in fear. The sounds of fighting grew.

Levi stared at his potatoes.

A whiff of sour scent tickled his nose- the cook had pissed himself.

Levi placed his fork down. He stood.

A battle raged outside. Violent shadows chased nothing across the walls.

Levi dug a crumpled ten-dollar bill from the back pocket of his coveralls and tucked it under the edge of the plate.

“Fuck this,” he muttered, “not in my fucking Waffle House.” Across the room in seconds, he strode past the cook and the restroom, making the heavy metal back-door shake on its hinges as he threw it open and stepped outside. Passing the dumpster, Levi walked to the passenger side of his pickup truck and pulled the door open, fumbling beneath the seat when the cabin light didn’t come on. His fingers found cold, smooth metal, and Levi pulled the L-shaped lug wrench from the bottom of the truck, closing the door as he hefted it over his shoulder.

The front lot was chaos, even as Levi made his way to its edges, skirting the merging trails of light cast by a beat-up Jeep. Blurs of dark and sounds that made his hair stand on end, Levi gritted his teeth, hefted the wrench, and entered the fray.

Man, or beast, it didn’t matter when one approached, an oncoming blur of darkness accompanied by a rancid odor. It didn’t matter- and Levi swung- connecting. He put his weight into the blow, impact only making his grip tighten. A crunch and a cry- waves of sound shaking his bones as he pulled back, winding up for another swing. The dark reared up before him, towering above then shrinking back, narrowly avoiding the flash of metal. Levi advanced on the thing, shifting his weight on the balls of his feet as he bent his knees, his stance ready for any challenger. A long limb flashed towards him, met by the heavy length of metal, its force snapping bone with a pop. The thing keened, gathering in on itself as Levi bore down on it. He gave no quarter, no single opening. He could not afford to here in the dark, when his enemy was unknown, unnumbered. Aiming for where he thought its head most likely to be, Levi whipped his weapon through the air, whiffing at nothing when the creature fled with inhuman speed in a flurry of shivering blackness.

Pausing, Levi turned. There were more, how many he did not know, but he would pursue them all until they were dead or gone, whichever came first. Squinting in the dark and trying to avoid the enticing light, struggling to keep his vision sharp with such contrast, Levi scanned the lot slowly.

A snarl by his ear was all the warning he got.

Before he could turn he was slammed to the ground, knees going down hard on the pavement as his arms came up to shield his face. A second impact to his ribs knocked the wind from him, pain shocking dully through his core as his body curled instinctively on the ground. Opening his mouth, too surprised to yell or even breathe, he felt a weight on his legs, holding him down. Sharp points dug through the heavy fabric of his work clothing, pricking at his skin as he was pressed against the asphalt, more weight pushing into his hips and back. Not daring to move his head, steadying his unruly heartbeat, Levi’s fingers wrapped tight around the wrench he still held in his right hand.

A wave of putrid stench washed over him, and Levi held back the urge to gag.

The thing leaned into him, and he adjusted his position ever so slightly, coiling his muscles and visualizing what was to come.

Labored sounds of wheezed breath grew closer, approaching his head as Levi stared at the ground and set his jaw.

One swing- with the thing’s massive weight and his body in this position, he’d only get one swing. One burst of power, he was sure it was all he’d have time for.

The wet breathing grew closer and Levi felt hot air waft over his neck and ear, making him forget the pain and pressure as the urgency increased. Something came down hard, banging his head against the ground. White stars flashed across his vision.

But Levi did not need to see with his eyes. Blinking away the threatening ache, Levi focused. Picturing it in his mind, he breathed deep. Releasing his air, Levi surged. He pressed his palms into the ground and pushed away, rolling toward his open side. The thing’s weight teetered, its balance upset, as he forced himself onto his back. Right arm curving up and around, Levi swung. The wrench arched up. He followed through, forcing the strength of his shoulders and core into it. With a sickening _thwack_ he connected.

Forcing himself up, Levi pushed the stunned beast from him. Unbalanced, it toppled to the ground. It lashed out, only to cry harshly when Levi swung at it a second time. Both hands wrapped around metal, wielding it like a baseball bat, Levi drove his weapon home. Again, and again, he struck. The thing’s resistance broke, its flailing less certain in the face of his power. There was no fifth blow. The creature fell limp. Levi stepped back, his eyes not leaving its form until he was certain it was not going to be coming for him.

This time when he scanned his surroundings he did so warily, noting the enemies’ position with care.

The next two that approached were no more difficult than the first had been. The air rang with shouts and growls. Levi’s lug wrench sang through cool, dry air, lighting the night in flashes of secondhand shine. Focused and deadly, he carved through the fight. Things scattered, yelped, swallowed their snarls and fled in his wake.

Levi did not feel the bite on his arm, or the scratch to his side. He did not see to count his foes or determine their nature. The coppery scent of his own blood trickling from his nose and dripping an itchy trail down his neck from his left ear did not reach him. All he felt was speed and power, his weapon’s presence like an extension of his body. All he saw was metal, and shadow, and blinding light, and yet another thing in his way. All he smelled was brimstone and rot. Levi stood at the eye of the storm. All that was real he wielded in his own two hands, banishing any that stood before it.

As he lost track of how many things he’d beaten, the din of the night quieted. Pained cries heralded desperate retreats. The smart ones fled to their vehicles. They sped off into the night on sparks, leaving nothing but burnout tracks. The shadows grew fixed, fewer moving to strike as the lot slowly emptied. A strange calm descended, and Levi’s hackles rose. This was not quite the end, he could feel anticipation’s quiver in every burning fiber of his muscles.

He looked around the lot, the hodgepodge of cars and trucks replaced by dark pavement that shone with oil and blood, crossed and smeared by tracks of dirt and rubber. Only one vehicle remained. One he’d heard before but hadn’t seen until now.

The motorcycle crouched, long tailpipes shining under the streetlights as its handlebars swooped up and back. Its saddle sat low, black leather nestled behind the black metal bulge, shiny and hard like a giant insect’s carapace. Levi whistled long and low- he knew from one look that it was a machine he could only dream of owning.

A flicker of movement from the corner of his vision tore his eyes from it, and Levi turned even as it moved out of his sight.

“Going to show yourself?” He joked, swinging the wrench with easy confidence, “ready to pick on someone your own size?”- the taunt died on his lips when he saw its form.

His final foe was not a creature.

It was not a shadow like those he’d faced.

Approaching him, eyes flashing, was a man.

A giant man, bearing down on him with speed Levi had not thought possible from someone that size. Levi ducked, the wrench and his forearms blocking a powerful blow from reaching his head. His bones shook with the impact, teeth grinding with the effort of pushing it away. Such force, almost inhuman, from a man who towered at least a foot over him.

The distance between them gone, the man fought like mad. His bare hands and fists were power enough to recon with, as Levi evaded quick punches. Between grunts of effort, taking every opening he could get, Levi’s impression of the man filled out. Tall, broad, strong- a whirlwind of a man who had seen fights before. The way he balanced and shifted his weight spoke of experience, and Levi began to enjoy their sparring just as he grew to appreciate his partner’s movements. The streetlights shone bright on blonde hair and illuminated the man while exaggerating the shadows of his dark clothing. Levi thrilled despite himself- this man was a worthy opponent. He launched himself into the fight with renewed effort, the wrench whistling its call through the air.

The man’s fist connected with his side, pounding pain through his ribs and forcing him off-balance for a second before he lashed out in response, driving metal down into a solid shoulder. They clashed and came apart, trading hits and mirroring their movements. The contest was simple and dirty. Levi jammed his heel down on the man’s instep. The man almost landed a sucker-punch in return that instead glanced off Levi’s ribs as he twisted away.

Evenly matched, their fighting sapped the remaining reserves of energy from Levi. His breath heavy and quick, muscles screaming as they protested every forced command. He could see the larger man slowing too, his blows less precise. Levi’s swings grew wilder, the weight of the wrench beginning to wear on him.

With a yell he swung at the man’s head, ready to end the battle. But he didn’t hit where he’d aimed; he didn’t see the man fall. The long bar connected and stopped- caught in the man’s hand. Straining, Levi growled, “Fuck you.”

The man stared down, a wolfish grin flashing perfect teeth. The immovable hand closed on his weapon, stopping Levi from jerking it back.

“Is that an invitation?” The man’s deep voice plucked at something in Levi’s stretched and tightened body. His neck burned, and Levi glared up, into-

Eyes that stole the words from his throat. Eyes that glowed, impossibly blue. His grip went slack on the wrench. The man let go as well. Metal dropped to the ground, ringing a clatter as it fell harmlessly.

“Whatever,” Levi answered, unsettled and more than a little aroused. “At least all the monsters are gone.”

“Are you sure?” The man taunted, stepping back enough to look smugly down at Levi.

Levi shook his head, growing more flustered the longer he had to get a good look at the man who stood before him. It was just plain unfair for such a muscular, handsome man to wear so much damn leather. Tight leather at that- worn soft and hugging powerful thighs, drawing Levi’s eyes to the man’s belt before he dragged them up to his face. Even the long line of ragged scar that split one of his blonde brows and trailed over an eye that glowed too-blue did nothing to ruin his chiseled features- instead it lent his aquiline profile a rakish charm.

It was utterly and completely unfair.

“Just stop making a fucking racket in the parking lot, okay?” Levi leaned down, retrieving his lug wrench from the ground and hiding his face in the process.

“I apologize.”

“You what?” Levi looked up, disbelieving. Those were the last words he’d expected from the man’s commanding presence. Hardly anyone gave Levi respect, even when he’d earned it.

“I apologize. I should not have disturbed your meal. Unfortunately, I had business that needed attending to.”

“What the hell kind of business is that?” It wasn’t a question to be answered, and Levi was not surprised when the man shook his head.

“Bad business,” was the blond’s only reply. It came low and quiet, words to be heard only by those standing close. “Business of my own, that I shouldn’t have involved you in.”

“Too late for that,” Levi scoffed. He looked at the man. “I’m Levi,” he offered the words with an outstretched hand, unsure whether the man would shake it after their confrontation.

“Thank you, Levi,” his shoulders relaxed as the man took his hand in a firm handshake, large fingers nearly drowning his own. “I’m Erwin.” As their grip loosened, Erwin looked around the parking lot, those strange, glowing eyes calculating. He nodded to no one and gave Levi a final look. “I’ll be leaving. You fought well. I could use…” he paused, seeming to think better of whatever offer he was about to make, “…nevermind,” he finished instead. Turning from Levi he strode across the parking lot to the hulking motorcycle.

Levi bit his lip, watching the fluid motion as Erwin mounted the bike and fired its engine. It purred to life, bubbling warmth in Levi despite the cold of the desert night. It suited Erwin- metal and chrome, black and shine, all power and size and thunderous rumbling. A pair of ravens called overhead. As Levi looked up at the sound, seeing two huge ebony birds spread their wings and take flight from where they perched on the streetlights above, Erwin put the bike into gear. Levi’s head whipped towards him, catching a final glimpse and what he thought was a wink as the man sped into the night.

The man followed by ravens.

The man of the glowing blue eyes.

 

Shivering in the dark, suddenly feeling naked and exposed in the parking lot, Levi stood rooted to the spot.

This was a man he would not, _could not_ , forget.


	2. Sleipnir

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and his friends start the evening off at a strip-mall bar. A night with little promise begins to improve at a startling pace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This really isn't getting any less self-indulgent. I just hope everyone reading this likes some of the same things I do ;P
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://ladymacbethsspot.tumblr.com) where I reblog Eruris, garbage, and post occasional writing (that ends up here).

Levi still hadn’t forgotten the man two weeks later. In fact, he thought, as he stared at the bandage covering a new burn on the back of his left hand, it was becoming a bit of a problem. Unfocused at work, he’d already put the torch too close to himself few times while his mind ran away to dwell on large, powerful hands- ones that had stopped a wrench swung at full speed.

“Are we there yet?” Isabel whined into his ear. She elbowed him in the ribs for good measure, wriggling around on the bench seat between him and Farlan. His grip tightened on the steering wheel as Levi stared at the road ahead, ignoring her badgering.

“I don’t know,” he growled, “you guys picked this place- you tell me.”

Peals of girlish laughter filled the truck, as Isabel let her head fall back and shook it lazily from side to side. “You’re funny, big bro. I’m drrr-UNK! I don’t know either!” She hiccuped, giggling at the sound, and turned to Farlan.

“Are we there yet?”

“No, Lizard. We’re still in the car.” Farlan’s voice was clearer than Isabel’s, but his words were still slow, rolling out the z’s and r’s with a heaviness that gave away how many drinks they’d already had. Hearing her least-favorite nickname, Isabel’s nose scrunched. She kicked Farlan in front of the seat, and Levi sighed, pinching at the bridge of his nose.

“Would you two- seriously?” He looked over, glaring accusingly at his friends as they both returned their best innocent faces. “It’s like you’re 12. Cut it out.”

“Cut it out?” Isabel gaped at him, “Why?” she whined, “We just want to go to a _bar,_ Levi. We just want to have _fun,_ Levi. Don’t give me the high-and-mighty act, we’re trying to get you laid!”

Levi shook his head, turning his attention back to the road as they bumped along. “Good fucking luck,” he muttered to himself, eyeing an upcoming pothole and trying to decide which was the better course: driving through and jostling his drunken passengers, or saving his ailing suspension. He heard the window on Farlan’s side roll down and shivered as dry, cold air rushed in. They barreled down the long, straight road, passing low ranch houses and seedy gas stations. The concentration of buildings grew higher as they went north, coming in from the edges of town and entering the city.

Sparse trailers and chain-link fences around nothing but scraggly shrubs and red dirt that had flown by in dots passed more frequently, giving way to more permanent structures. Streetlights, taller than any of the buildings around, marked the moment they entered the city for good, even if Levi knew it was a false signal.

In the desert everyone clung to the edges. Everyone scrabbled for what they could. Any gathering of buildings or people that rose up to defy the emptiness, to form an oasis, fought even harder to maintain it.

They’d entered a real neighborhood, the number of abandoned buildings decreasing as the pavement to dirt ratio steadily increased. Levi pulled up to a stoplight, looking over to see Farlan almost nodding asleep already. _Lightweights_ , he thought, _it’s only 11 pm_.

“That’s it!” Isabel yelled, pointing to their right. Looking along the path of her finger, Levi stared at the low storefronts of a strip mall.

“What?”

“That’s it. Right there. Turn right. Turn right.” She tugged at his shirt sleeve, and Levi finally caught sight of the place. Between a chain grocery store and a nail salon, the only thing that gave the bar away was the beer brand signs plastered over the windows. He pulled off the road, driving through the parking lot and shaking his head. Isabel and Farlan had said this place was good, but the beige strip mall wasn’t exactly encouraging- he wanted a drink, not a chance to get errands done. Still, he was already here, and he didn’t have any better ideas for the night.

The inside of the bar was a little more encouraging. It wasn’t anything special- dim and as boxy on the inside as it was outside. Lit-up neon signs and the usual generic advertisements were placed around the walls; a second open area with pool tables also drew patrons. Despite the no-frills atmosphere, there were a good number of people, and Levi decided it was at least worth staying for one drink. The darker end of the room had microphones and speakers set up, though no one was using them.

“Is there supposed to be music tonight?” he asked Isabel, trying to figure out what kind of band would need a stool but no space for instruments, and hardly any other equipment.

“Maybeeee,” the sing-song Isabel used made Levi roll his eyes. She was plotting something. Isabel was smart, but not much of a planner. “I’m getting a pitcher. Whaddaya want?” she added, walking towards the bar.

“Beer.” Farlan teased.

His smart mouth earned him slap, and it was Isabel’s turn to roll her eyes. “No shit, Farlan.”

Levi held back another remark, and instead let her go. He already felt like he was herding cats and it was just the beginning of the night. Looking disinterestedly around the bar, he settled on a round table with a view of the microphone setup. It wasn’t the kind of table you sat at, so Levi stood, Farlan coming over after a minute to stand opposite.

“You said this place was good,” Levi remarked, giving Farlan a meaningful look.

“Yeah, well. Anything’s better than drinking at the garage. Or your place.” The shake of Farlan’s head indicated that he wasn’t all that impressed with the bar either.

“What’s wrong with my place?”

“Nothing,” Farlan said cautiously, recovering a little of his sense under Levi’s stern gaze. It didn’t matter- his friend didn’t need to say it out loud. Levi already knew. His place was too small, too far from town, too boring.

That was the point.

A minute later Isabel slammed a clear-plastic pitcher onto the table, sloshing a trail of beer over its side as she handed around disposable plastic cups. “Classy,” Levi muttered, pouring them each a cup of what smelled more like low-calorie piss-water than beer. He raised his cup to his mouth, taking a long drink and hoping the potential for getting a buzz going would be enough to ignore the lackluster flavor. Some commotion near the two speakers on the floor drew his gaze, and Levi watched as a nondescript middle-aged woman tapped on the mic, sending a series of crackly _thunks_ through the room.

“Is this working?” she asked, and Levi downed the rest of his beer in one go. As he poured himself a second one, he watched over the top of his cup while she milled around checking cables and staring at a piece of paper she held in her hand. “Okay, folks, we’ve only got a few more performers left, so let’s welcome them.” Levi wondered for a moment what kind of performers she was talking about, before a man in a black cowboy hat stepped up and sat on the stool in front of the mic, adjusting its height. He was older, a distinguished, weathered face full of shadows under the wide hat’s brim. Taking a folded piece of lined notebook paper from his denim vest pocket, the man cleared his throat and began to read.

He room went quieter, and Levi shot Isabel and Farlan a questioning look. Isabel ignored it, Farlan only shrugging, clearly as confused as Levi was. The man read from the paper he held, his voice even and purposeful.

He’d gotten through a few sentences before Levi figured it out- he was reading a poem. It didn’t rhyme, but the man’s words had a rhythm. Something about wide open spaces and the loneliness of the desert- the hat and boots the man wore finally clicking into place in Levi’s mind as he realized what they were watching.

Cowboy poetry.

Isabel had brought him to a fucking poetry reading.

Levi seethed silently, turning his focus inward and to the beer in front of him. He didn’t need help getting laid this badly. This was probably the most pathetic live show he’d ever sat through. Besides, cowboys were all just a bunch of dirty old weirdos, anyway. Levi nursed his beer, trying to ease the surliness he felt over the betrayal.

“This is the lamest shit I’ve ever seen,” he complained.

“Levi!” Isabel hissed, frowning at him. “This is art. And culture. Culture art. Or art culture? Anyway- shut up. Besides, my friend is reading a poem and I promised him I’d come. Moral support and all.”

“Moral support, my ass. I see how it is,” Levi answered. Both relieved and disappointed, he let go of some of the outrage he’d felt when he thought this was genuinely Isabel’s plan for getting him some. At least now he didn’t have to pretend to be interested, she could moon over some guy all she wanted- it wasn’t his problem. Relaxing a little, he set into the task of sipping his beer and falling into a state of half-attention.

The bar was quieter, the man reading a poem easy to hear, even when Levi quit focusing on the words. Lamenting the cold of the desert night and the hot of its sun didn’t move Levi’s heart though- these were things he’d simply accepted long ago. Instead, his mind wandered over the background of soothing speech. There were other things he could think about, while Farlan and Isabel were both occupied watching the cowboy read monotonously from his little piece of paper. Staring down at his hands, eyes coming to rest again on the bandage, Levi drifted in the comfortable, dim room. 

To leather and chrome, the beast of a motorcycle, the giant of a rider, his thoughts shifted by the man’s magnetism. Impressions and textures, he could see some things more clearly than others when he didn’t bother to focus fully on them. Levi pressed gently on the bandage, feeling a pang of discomfort where he disturbed the burn, and a small smile quirked his lips at their edges. His thumb traced a circle, running over the thin gauze while he let the memories stir his imagination: the rumble and warmth of a bike’s throttle.

Worn leather, black as night, tugged tight over powerful thighs, loomed large in his thoughts. Hands that stopped metal, that held it at bay while the man they belonged to smiled. Too-perfect teeth and glowing eyes, every part of Erwin was clear in Levi’s thoughts. It was easy to imagine the man pushing him up against a wall, especially when he’d already felt that strength. It was easy to imagine Erwin moving in close, drawn by Levi’s hammering pulse, until he could feel hot breath on his neck.

It was easy to imagine.

And Levi did, wondering what the man’s hands and lips felt like- rough or soft, insistent or teasing. It didn’t matter, he thought, as his fingers stroked the back of his hand, small hints of ache from the tender, raw skin beneath only burying him deeper in his fantasy.

It didn’t matter, he’d take it either way.

From a man like that, he would.

Levi didn’t notice when the cowboy finished his verses. The next performer didn’t draw his attention either, as he stared into the middle distance and the strip mall bar faded further from his perception. Just the motion of his finger, focusing loosely on the dull pain, and thoughts of Erwin, and ravens, and fighting under orange parking lot lights. Levi took a long swig of beer, letting the cool liquid quench some of the growing warmth within. He took another gulp, thirsty with thoughts of Erwin and exactly what that powerful body might look like naked.

As the second performer finished, Isabel’s excited clapping and whoops of approval shook Levi from his private thoughts.

“Still lame?” she asked, grinning over at Levi as he shrugged, pretending to have listened. She chattered on distractedly, praising the poem her friend had read, clearly gushing more than necessary.

“I don’t know,” Farlan chimed in, “I thought the first guy was better. At least his poem wasn’t all clichés and mixed metaphors.” The half-serious remark earned him a glare from Isabel as Levi shook his head.

Unwilling to let the slight go, Isabel retorted, “Oh please, Farlan. What are you, some fancy book critic?”

“You mean a literary critic?”

“Whatever! Book critic, literary critic, who cares. It’s not like you could do better.” She poked Farlan’s ribs accusingly, making him grumble and rub the spot. Debating whether to break up their bickering, Levi buried his nose in his beer cup, deciding instead to just wait the whole thing out. Too distracted by his friends’ good-natured ribbing, he didn’t notice the next performer sit down at the microphone.

He didn’t notice until the man spoke.

At the sound of his voice, something shot down Levi’s spine, making his neck and legs tense.

He looked up. It couldn’t be-

He stared.

At the tall man seated on the tiny stool, leaning over the microphone and dwarfing it with his large frame, deep voice rolling through the bar and reverberating in every single bone in Levi’s body. He stared at blond hair lit by a single spotlight above, at the circle of light and shadow cast over worn leather, at cheekbones that made his hands clench into fists and his jaw ache. At blue eyes that glowed-

Blue eyes that stared back.

Levi swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. He could not look away, could hardly believe what he saw. Not more than fifteen feet from him, sat the very man he’d been thinking about. As though summoned by his longing, Erwin had appeared. Only fragments of Erwin’s words were discernible when their rich tone and the movement of Erwin’s lips was all that Levi needed.

_Young was I once, I walked alone,_

His poem was strange. Not lyrical or rhythmic, yet measured and simple. The words felt old, practiced in a way that made them ring of truth. Levi noticed that Erwin held nothing in his hand, that he read from no notes or script as he spoke.

_and bewildered seemed in the way;_

Erwin’s lips moved, shaping the words, lending them weight. As they washed around Levi he lost sense of the bar, of the table in front of him, and the beer in his hand. It was as though there was nothing else to see, to hear, but Erwin and his words.

_then I found me another and rich I thought me,_

Glowing blue eyes did not leave his for a second, not blinking or wavering as Erwin returned his hungry gaze. Alone in the bar full of people, he spoke words Levi was sure were meant only for him.

_for man is the joy of man._

The poem finished, Erwin gave a quiet nod, unfolding himself from the small seat as he stood. Levi blinked, and took a shuddering breath, suddenly aware of how engrossed he’d been in the performance.

“Well that was some creepy shit,” Isabel complained, adding, “That was the weirdest poem I’ve ever- oh,”- she fell quiet, noticing the shaken look on Levi’s face. Looking quickly around, she scanned the room, stealing glances back at Levi every few seconds. “I mean, it was, uh, fine? Not weird,” she said. “At least that guy was hot. Really hot- holy shit,” she hissed as her voice choked higher, tugging at Farlan’s jacket, “let’s go talk to my friend.”

“Why?” Farlan asked, giving her a confused look.

“Why? You dope. Because that big blond guy is coming over here and Levi’s already got a boner for him.”

Frowning, Farlan filled his cup with the last of the beer from the pitcher, taking what he could with him as he let Isabel tug him away. “He does not,” Farlan murmured, only to be shushed by a quiet ‘does too’ from Isabel as they scuttled away to find her friend.

Still overwhelmed, Levi watched them go in silence, looking vacantly around the bar as he tried to regain his bearings. Something about Erwin’s poem had caught him, wrapping him up in more than the words, and he struggled to rid the haze it left in his mind. Before he could be entirely free of it, the man he’d been preoccupied with strode over, coming to stand opposite him.

“Hello, Levi. May I?”

With a distracted nod, Levi answered automatically, “Yeah. Sure.”

Leaning his forearms on the table to look into Levi’s face, Erwin gave an easy grin. “It’s a genuine pleasure to meet you here. Though I am somewhat surprised.”

“Same,” Levi responded, finally shaking the odd daze from his head as Erwin came into sharp focus. “Wouldn’t have guessed a monster fighter wrote poetry in his spare time.”

“I have many talents.” Erwin’s smile grew, the playful tone in his deep voice sending a shiver down Levi’s neck. “Can I buy you a drink? I’m afraid I’ll still owe you, but-”

“Owe me for what?” Levi interrupted.

“Disturbing your meal. At the Waffle House. That’s why you came out, wasn’t it?”

Levi pondered the question and nodded when he realized it was essentially true. He had met Erwin in the fight, and he never would have come outside if one of those things hadn’t broken the window. In a way, Erwin did owe him for that. “Alright,” he answered.

“What would you like?”

Levi opened his mouth to say ‘beer’, then paused. While it was usually true, this bar didn’t seem to have much in the way of beer worth drinking. Instead, he left the choice to Erwin. “I’ll have what you’re having.”

“I hope you like mead.” Not getting a chance to agree or disagree, Levi watched as Erwin walked to the bar, wondering if a place like this would have anything that specialized. Despite his doubt, Erwin returned holding two new plastic cups, and when he placed one in front of Levi, its musky smell assured him of the golden liquid’s nature. Levi reached out and took his cup, bringing it halfway to his mouth before realizing that Erwin held his aloft.

Everything about Erwin continued to be surprising- this was no exception. No one toasted in a place like this, with lingering cigarette smoke, red plastic cups, half-assed kitsch decorating the walls. Levi could even see a portly man leaning over a pool table in denim overalls in the other room.

No one toasted in a bar next to a nail salon.

Still, Levi raised his cup in answer.

As he touched its rim to Erwin’s, the man spoke. “Skål!”

“Cheers,” Levi muttered at the same time, unfamiliar with the strange, rounded word Erwin had used. The word bit off quickly at its end, a sound more suited to battle than celebration, and felt a little too similar to ‘skull’.

He tipped back his cup and drank.

The scent of fresh-mowed fields, of ripened hay and sun-warmed outdoors flowed over him. Taking him away from the desert, to a place of rain and mist. The mead’s musty, sweet smell spoke of a place where the sun did not blaze and bake but shone watery through clouds and pulsed warm and gentle over grasses and trees. Its flavor crisp and honeyed, drier than he’d expected, it whispered of hills and valleys, a landscape ancient in the memories of men.

The mead’s spell was a pleasant addition to the night and standing close to Erwin an even better one. They both loosened Levi’s tongue.

“What was going on that night? The monsters, or shadows?” he asked, not bothering with small talk.

Erwin raised a thick eyebrow and pondered, eventually giving a well-thought answer. “There are those who would see me dead. I’ve lived long enough to make enemies, and my enemies are tenacious ones.”

Finding that he had nothing to say in response, Levi nodded. It was a sentiment he understood all too well. He’d made his own enemies in a past he’d prefer to forget. Those were memories he had no regrets about letting die a slow death. He had left them behind as well he could- a new place, a new job, a new life. Though he did not voice these things, he felt Erwin’s eyes on him, examining him as though they could be read plainly from his face.

Erwin continued, “But, after seeing you fight, I imagine that doesn’t surprise you much. You’re not unused to battle yourself.”

Pursing his lips, Levi nodded again. “You’re right,” he admitted.

“I enjoyed it, by the way.” Erwin’s smug smile was back. Distracting and teasing, it made the burn on Levi’s hand itch and his neck grow warm.

“What?”

“Seeing you in action. Our fight. You’re a strong man.”

Levi shrugged. “Just like you, I’ve got many talents.”

“Oh?” Erwin’s smile turned to a grin as he leaned closer. Levi took a long drink of mead, its light tang and underlying musty finish smoothing everything, softening the edges of his defenses. As he noticed just how close Erwin was leaning, just how little space was between their faces, and just how appetizing Erwin’s damp lips looked, the taller man spoke.

“I’d like to see more of your talents, Levi.”

Levi’s body clenched. “Come home with me,” he demanded without thinking.

“You’d invite me into your home so easily?” The amusement shining in Erwin’s eyes told Levi that Erwin’s words were only meant to wind him up further as he continued under his breath, leaning close enough that only Levi could hear, “Into your bed?”

If that was what Erwin was aiming for, it was working.

“You’ve pretty much invited yourself, flirting like that,” Levi shot back.

Straightening up and putting space back between them, Erwin gave a good-natured chuckle. “That I cannot deny,” he said. The laugh faded quickly from his features, replaced by a serious expression, brows drawn together as he looked at Levi. He stared for a moment, and Levi returned the eye contact, the change in Erwin’s demeanor indicating that he was no longer being teased. His tone, low and sultry before, had turned thoughtful when he finally spoke again. “I will gladly come to your bed. But I should warn you, Levi-”

Levi held up a hand, stopping Erwin mid-sentence. He didn’t need Erwin’s explanation, didn’t want his apology. He’d heard all that shit before, anyway. Tonight was a chance he would regret if he let it slip from his grasp and nothing Erwin could say would change that.

“Save it. I don’t need that sentimental bullshit. This doesn’t have to be anything it isn’t. Let’s go.”

* * *

 

Levi drove home, the headlights of Erwin’s motorcycle shining in his rear-view mirror. Blinding if he looked too long, they burnt into the edge of his vision, a constant reminder of how closely Erwin was following. Even in different vehicles Levi could feel Erwin’s presence, the rumble of his bike loud enough to make Levi’s nerves buzz with sweet anticipation.

They drove fast, speeding through the night, their pace meaningless with no point of reference. South from the city- long, flat ribbons of road rushing by beneath his truck’s wheels as he cracked the windows. Cool air hit his face, making his hair whip around is forehead, bringing with it the freedom of the road and the night full of promise. He rolled the windows down more, wanting to feel the same rush and speed he knew Erwin must be getting riding in the open air behind. The distant silhouettes of mountains stared silently down on their journey from the east.

They left town and with it the road grew quiet. The city ended abruptly, though the road stretched on into the infinite dark. Only the bobbing of Erwin’s headlights, the glow of his own high-beams, and the grey shadows cast by the full moon above lit the land, a stark foreign place of straight lines and sharp shadow.

Erwin’s bike roared louder, coming up closer, until he swerved to pull up alongside, driving fast in the oncoming traffic’s lane. With no other cars to worry about and the road clear before them, they raced, going faster, pushing the speedometer up and up. Pulling ahead of Levi, the sight of Erwin’s back, lit by his headlights, made Levi lick his lips and press his foot to the floor. The truck’s rpm’s jumped, engine complaining.

Faster, they drove, the dashed yellow line down the middle of the road blurring at its edges, then becoming a fuzzy streak between them. The wind buffeted in through the truck’s windows, and Levi’s heart pounded, the thrill of the chase flooding his body with adrenaline as he pushed the truck harder and harder, matching Erwin’s speed and pulling a ahead. Neck and neck, they competed, neither able to pull away from the other, accelerating beyond what Levi had thought possible down the empty road as the numbers on the speedometer climbed well past triple digits.

As it inched higher, the needle’s smooth arc jumped and trembled. The truck begin to vibrate, its old bones shuddering the frequency of their chase. Levi knew he couldn’t push the engine much further. As he gritted his teeth, fingers squeezing tight on the steering wheel, breeze and his heartbeat pounding in his ears, Erwin finally pulled ahead. The motorcycle roared as he shot forward, and Levi let out a gasp, easing his foot from the accelerator and watching as Erwin’s lights traced red down the road ahead while the chrome of his tailpipe winked and vanished into the night.

When he caught up to Erwin again, they switched places, the motorcycle resuming its position following him as he tried to keep his imagination in check. The race had been more than a tease, and the rest of Levi’s drive home was preoccupied by his thoughts.

Thoughts of leather-clad thighs draped over the rumbling motorcycle, squeezing it in a way that made Levi wish he was between them.

He could barely breathe.

Worn, heavy boots, made to take or give a beating.

His chest felt heavy.

And glowing blue eyes, the strong jaw and regal nose, Levi couldn’t help but wonder what they’d look like from a different perspective- above just as delicious as below.

His pants felt tight and hot.

The hunger of his overactive imagination was only heightened by the rumble and roar of Erwin’s bike behind, as close and tempting as hot breath on his neck.

Once they got to Levi’s little ranch house it didn’t take them long. Erwin parked his bike on the front yard, if the tiny rectangle of dirt and wiry sage scrub could be called that, and they tumbled through the door, barely bothering to close it as the screen slammed shut behind them. Levi wasn’t in the habit of turning on the lights when he got home. He knew his way around by instinct, and Erwin only grinned wider as he was led through the dark into the bedroom.

Wanting to savor every part of Erwin, yet unable to hold back, Levi pulled the taller man down to meet him in a harsh kiss, more teeth than tongue. Their faces pressed close, Erwin leaned in and took Levi’s chin in his hand, his tongue pushing possessively into Levi’s mouth. Neither backing off, the softness of their lips was nearly swallowed by firm insistence where they met. Claiming each other they clung, hands travelling blindly, grasping at fabric, each intent on uncovering bare skin. Levi’s calves tensed where he stood on tiptoe as Erwin’s hand pushed down the tight front of his pants. Large, warm fingers groped between his legs, brushing against his half-hard cock as he gasped against Erwin’s mouth and wrestled Erwin’s jacket off one arm.

Tangled up in each other- hands, mouths, clothing binding them to and from each other, they struggled. Hungry lips only parted when necessary- all cylinders running hot, their need to taste and kiss, to press closer, lust-driven desire winning over air-starved lungs. Erwin’s jacket was shed, and his t-shirt followed, its cotton brushing Levi’s lips as the hem came up over his head. Working together to fumble his button-down shirt open, Levi felt himself give ground with each step backward until the edge of the bed pressed behind his knees. As Erwin pushed him down, Levi dragged the larger man down with him, landing heavily on the bed, losing a button and his shirt at the same time.

Partly exposed, their hands sought every inch of skin, running over muscle, smoothing hair. Erwin’s head came down, blonde hair shining dull in the moonlight streaming through Levi’s windows, dipping deep into shadow. Teeth grazed over the taut lines of his neck, Erwin’s open mouth breathing hot on vulnerable skin. When he felt Erwin’s tongue slide over the base of his neck, lapping against his collarbone, Levi groaned, grasping at the muscles of Erwin’s back as licks turned to kisses that grew teeth. Moving over the same spots, attention focused on the dips of Levi’s neck, Erwin bit and sucked, making Levi’s hips rock up, seeking more than just the tight confines of his jeans.

Only when blotches of crimson grew under the pale skin he tortured, only when Levi’s hand threaded into blond hair and jerked him away, did Erwin move on. Leaving bruised rings, crescent indents of red, Erwin’s lips travelled down Levi’s chest, his hands fanning out on either side of his mouth to stroke and squeeze. Rubbing his nose into the dark hair dusting Levi’s sternum, his head moved with purpose. Levi’s breath caught when he realized Erwin’s aim, and he stared as the man’s tongue flicked out and over the peaked flesh of his nipple. Hungrier and more sensual than Levi had expected, Erwin’s mouth made him flinch and twist, desperately torn between wanting more and already having too much.

The brush of teeth over the sensitive skin made Levi’s chest tighten as his legs wound around Erwin’s hips, pulling him down against his crotch as he ground up through too many layers of fabric. The sharp pain and pleasure that followed as Erwin’s teeth caught, tugging his nipple, while fingers rolled the other roughly drew a moan from Levi. His legs tightened, hips rolling. He hadn’t known he could make those noises, hadn’t known he wanted to so badly. He wanted more- Erwin’s mouth and fingers teasing his chest only piqued his appetite and made him bolder.

Finally ready to take matters into his own hands, Levi pushed Erwin from him. “Get your damn pants off and quit slobbering on me,” he stated, unable to meet Erwin’s eyes as the man smirked knowingly. While Levi pulled open the drawer on his bedside table, fishing out lube and a condom, he watched Erwin strip from the corner of his eye. The tight leather pants and underwear were peeled away. The muscular curve and dip of Erwin’s buttocks, pale hair on thick thighs, the sight was enough to clench Levi’s stomach as his need grew.

Wasting no time, Levi stripped the rest of his clothing off. He crawled over to straddle the broad expanse of Erwin’s thighs, and looked down between the man’s legs. “Fuck,” he breathed, staring at the length of hard cock, already firm and proud where it jutted from dusky gold curls, “Fuck, that’s a lot.”

“Think you can handle it?” Levi scowled at the insinuation, ready to shoot back when Erwin continued, “If you can’t, I’ll happily take yours.” At the gravel in the low, serious words, Levi’s cock twitched, and he paused, thoughts racing. The offer was tempting, but Levi’s mind was already made up. He tossed the condom on Erwin’s chest.

“Put that on.” He uncapped the lube, spreading it liberally over his fingers. Rising to his knees to reach behind, he unceremoniously pressed two fingers into the tight warmth of his ass, grunting a little at the effort as Erwin watched, the glow in blue eyes deep, their stare unbroken. He breathed out, willing the pent-up tension to subside while his muscles relaxed around his fingers. Erwin watched, unwrapped the condom and rolled it over his thick cock, hands finding their place on Levi’s thighs. They spread, squeezing, large enough to cover and grasp in a way that made Levi’s groin ache and his fingers pressed deeper. Quick and rushed, he pushed in as far as they’d go, mouth opening as he heaved a breath, face hot and chest warming.

“Good enough,” he muttered, easing his fingers out and shifting up on Erwin’s hips, adding more lube to the man’s cock before he positioned its head at his entrance. As he guided it in, breathing out slowly and lowering himself deliberately, Erwin’s hands squeezed his thighs, distracting him from the press and stretch.

He had been right. It was a lot.

Levi’s shuddering breath and the burn in his ass told him what he already knew as he sank down. He bit his lip, pausing, as Erwin’s hand slid up his thigh and brushed the head of his cock. The man was looking at him, watching his face, and Levi felt the heat of his gaze as Erwin’s hand wrapped around his length, stroking him.

Distracted by the tugging pleasure, the warmth of Erwin’s hand as it moved over him, the broad, powerful body beneath, and the hunger in glowing blue eyes, Levi sank down. His head fell back as he was filled. His hips rolled with the joy of it as his back arched. The burn was well worth the satisfaction, and Levi lifted himself up quickly, eager to feel it again. This time when he sank down, Erwin’s hips rose to meet him, driving his cock in, hitching Levi’s breath in his chest with its force.

“Fuck,” he gasped, “that’s good.” Wanting more, Levi lifted himself again, legs tensing, body hungry. Erwin’s hands squeezed his thigh and his cock, the look of appreciation on his face urging Levi on.

He wanted more, he wanted to see and feel more, wanted to be touched, be watched, be filled. Letting go, his body finding its own pace, Levi rode Erwin’s hips with abandon. The threads of himself slipping away, desire replaced all sense. Each time Erwin’s body moved to meet his, it forced desperate words out with it. “More,” he groaned, as Erwin’s fingers pressed bruises into his legs. “More,” he pleaded, as Erwin’s eyes grew brighter and set his skin aflame. “More,” he prayed, the thick length of Erwin’s cock rubbing inside him.

“Let me give you more.”

Levi sucked in a breath when Erwin’s hands tightened on his legs, as the man beneath him surged up and rolled them both over. The sudden loss of Erwin’s cock inside him made his insides clench on nothing as his back hit the bed. He didn’t have to wait long. Erwin maneuvered his willing body easily, getting him onto his hands and knees. His back arched as he felt Erwin’s cock push back inside, driving deeper than it had before.

Erwin pulled back, his cock almost slipping from Levi’s ass before it pressed back in. Pushing back to meet it, Levi forced their pace on. Their violent desires matched - Levi’s shuddered and gasped breaths were proof as Erwin thrust into him from behind. At this angle Erwin’s cock rubbed through him, passing over his prostate and sending jolts of pleasure with it. Their movements harsh, skin slapping as Erwin’s fingers dug into his hips and side, Levi’s shoulders and hips rolling with the animalistic satisfaction of harder, faster, deeper. Each thrust was better than the last. Each spread pleasure and wound him tighter as he cried out to the rhythm of Erwin’s grunts and the pounding of his hips.

The weight of Erwin’s body leaning over his back forced his face into the bed. An arm wrapped around his hips and fingers clutched at his throbbing erection, stroking it in time. Still matching Erwin’s movements, back arching each time to take his cock to the hilt, Levi’s hands clutched at the bedclothes, fists as tight as the tension in his groin. He hardly noticed Erwin’s hand sliding up his body, wrapping around his neck, holding him tight as starved kisses and rough bites to his shoulder sent shivers through him.

“You feel so good, Levi.” Erwin’s words, spoken into the crook of his neck, reached him through the delirious haze of his singing nerves. “So good, so tight, so hot.” Husky and deep, the timbre of Erwin’s voice ached and seared through Levi’s veins. Unable to think in words, Levi moaned his reply into the bed.  

“Am I giving you enough?” Erwin asked, the hand stroking Levi’s cock almost too much to bear as his hips smacked against Levi’s ass, driving deep. “Tell me, Levi, I want to hear it from your lips.” He gripped Levi’s throat tighter, heightening every nerve pulsing with bliss in Levi’s body. “Tell me.”

Levi tried to nod, then groaned, then tried again, finally choking out a, “Yes.”

Another “Yes,” tumbled from his lips as Erwin bit down on the muscle of his neck. A third pushed from his lungs as Erwin’s hand squeezed while it stroked his cock. Countless more followed as the pressure built within him, his body and breath speeding up, every sensation magnified. Exquisite pleasure, exquisite ache, Erwin’s cock plunging in to drag and press over his prostate, his hand stroking quickly, his fingers pressing on Levi’s throat, as his teeth grazed the taut tendons of Levi’s neck.

Unable to hold out, Levi came with a shout. Clenching and shaking, the release of his orgasm thundered through him. It rocked him in a blinding rush, turning him mute with its force, his utterances already spent. Hot spurts painted the covers below, the fullness of Erwin’s cock inside him overwhelming as he pushed his body up to meet it. The unrelenting force as Erwin continued to move sent waves of joyful aftershocks through him, making his jaw buzz and stars explode behind his eyes. He felt the pounding rhythm stutter, and just before the stimulation turned from delicious to bitter, Erwin’s embrace tightened as he came.

After a few more weak thrusts, the heat of Erwin’s breath on his neck steadied and Levi felt himself pulled down onto the mattress as Erwin collapsed on his side. Easing his cock from Levi, he held the condom on, removing and tying it off before dropping it onto his discarded clothing. Unfazed, Levi leaned back against Erwin’s body, surprised but pleased when Erwin welcomed the contact with an arm wrapped lazily over him.

They lay, hearts slowing, as post-orgasm exhaustion crept into the edges of Levi’s brain. Almost unconsciously their bodies found a comfortable position, fitting together as Erwin’s shoulder became a pillow and his hand found Levi’s. The barely-there brush of lips on Levi’s temple made him lift his head, tearing his gaze from the puddle of moon-cold light pooling around the shadows of the tangled covers and sheets. He turned, expecting to see the same violent, hungry glow in blue eyes.

What he saw instead disarmed him.

Concern, almost an apology, written in the set of large brows, in eyes he’d never imagined could look soft. The look came and went, its brief presence making Levi unsure whether he’d seen it at all. Erwin leaned in, and Levi lazily met his mouth, closing his eyes to the kiss.

This time there were no teeth. Only soft, lingering moments and shared air. Erwin’s fingers stroked the bandage on his hand, feeling out its edges with a lightness that spoke of more than Levi had imagined him capable of.

“I have to go” Erwin said as their lips parted.

Levi nodded. It was something he already knew, had already accepted.

“You can use the shower.”

Erwin looked at him, his expression unreadable as he paused. Finally, he nodded, and shifted himself gently from behind Levi. He stood and gathered his clothes, discarding the condom as Levi watched silently from the bed, trying to decipher whatever lay behind the stoic mask that had slipped over his features. As Erwin stepped from the room, Levi interrupted him.

“I wouldn’t mind, you know, if I see you again.”

Turning back, Erwin faced him. And for a second, he was just a man. His face looked worn and tired, his nakedness somehow vulnerable.

“I’d like that,” he breathed.

But the instant was gone.

It must have been a trick of the night, throwing shadows wantonly. Or perhaps the blue glow had never left Erwin’s eyes, his bare body proud and strong under the moon’s cold light.

He left the room, the sound of the bathroom door closing and the light flow of water from the shower following. While he listened to the white noise, Levi stared out the window, eyes falling on shadows cast on the dusty ground. Black wings, their shapes distorted and lengthened as they slid over the earth. The water’s sound ceased soon after its start, and Levi continued to listen until Erwin’s steps and sounds were ended by the unmistakable closing of his front door, punctuated by the slam of the metal screen after it.

With a rumble, the bike started, its sound joined by the cawing of ravens, a cacophony that split the silence of the desert night before retreating into nothing beneath the empty, endless sky.


	3. Hliðskjálf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi enjoys a card game with his friends. Isabel is nosy. When Levi's truck needs a fix things turn out to be a bit more complicated...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so instead of making one stupid-long chapter there will be this shorter one and the next will be stupid-long.
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://ladymacbethsspot.tumblr.com/) where I reblog Eruris, garbage, and post occasional writing (that ends up here). I also have a [Twitter](https://twitter.com/MmeMacbethsSpot). I guess.

Isabel slammed her cards down on the faded olive-green top of the folding card table.

“Read ‘em and weep, ladies!” she crowed, taking a triumphant swig from her beer can before sweeping the chips onto her side of the table. A few fell off the edge, clattering and rolling on the polished concrete floor of the garage. “Crap,” she muttered, messy red ponytail ducking down as she bent to retrieve them.

Farlan leaned over, inspecting the hand she’d produced, spreading the cards out to frown at them. “What’s this?” he murmured, “there’s no way…” Levi looked around the cramped garage, shifting his weight on the stack of old tires he was using as a chair. There was barely enough room for their card table, and if Levi had wanted a real chair they would have been sitting outside. Most of the lights were off for the night, a few utility bulbs hanging from retractable yellow wires lit the space. They threw darkening shadows around that collected under toolboxes, and settled in the corners. As the day’s heat faded with the sun, the small corrugated metal structure was cooling quickly, and the wide-open garage doors didn’t help. Levi hadn’t brought a jacket, something he was beginning to regret as he stared down at his thin t-shirt and jeans.

When Isabel had called him up he’d assumed it was to help out, so he hadn’t worn anything special, it would just get dirty anyway. Weekends were usually the busiest time for her garage, and she’d even said Farlan would be there. If he’d known she was just trying to fleece him out of a few measly bucks, he wouldn’t have bothered.

“There’s just no way…” Farlan was still stuck on the cards, he’d even picked one up and was turning it back and forth examining it. “Izzy,” he began.

“Whaddaya want?” she popped back up from under the table, slapping three blue chips onto it before she scanned the floor. “I swear there was a red one too…”

“I want my chips back,” Farlan stated, his hand shooting out to pluck a few from the pile of Isabel’s winnings.

“What? Hell no!” She batted at his fingers, trying to snatch the pieces of plastic back even as Farlan stood from his folding chair, hunched over the table and ready to fight over it.

“Give them all back. You’re cheating.”

“Cheating? Me? I wouldn’t-”

“Bulltits!”

“Bull- whaaa?! How do you know anyway?”

Levi sighed, wishing he’d stayed home. Instead of a chance to pick up a little cash helping Isabel with her overflow of repairs he’d been roped into this nonsense. All he’d wanted was a quiet weekend to contemplate his misery in peace. Do some laundry, wash his truck, wire his good-for-nothing Uncle money he hadn’t earned. His friends were fine, but they were sure as shit being loud and he wasn’t in the mood for this.

“All the aces have already been played in this deck,” he said, folding his arms and staring Isabel down across the table. “Farlan’s right- you’re cheating. Badly, too.”

“Oh. Poop,” Isabel pouted, “Guess ya’ caught me.” She glared at Farlan until he sat back down, as though it was all his fault, and reluctantly began counting her chips back out, redistributing what everyone had bet. “I’ll just win ‘em back anyway,” she joked once the middle was cleared.

“Maybe another time.” Farlan’s voice was tired, and Levi sympathized. “I’ve got other things to do tonight. Got to head out now.”

The disappointment was clear in Isabel’s eyes, but even her woe-is-me-I-have-no-friends act wasn’t working on Farlan. They counted their chips, deciding to call it even despite the cheating, and a few wrinkled dollar bills with a half-dozen grease-stained coins exchanged hands. Getting up from the table, Farlan drank down the last of his beer and clapped Levi on the shoulder before turning to leave. As his sneakers shuffled over the concrete, Isabel called after him.

“Have fun with your hot date,” she teased. One step out of the garage, Farlan froze, head whipping around quickly, eyes wide with surprise.

“How did y-”

“OHMYGOD I was right!” She jeered, waving her beer can after him, devolving into a pile of giggles as Farlan blushed and huffed, whipping around to march stiffly to his car.

“I will!” He shouted defiantly, trying to wrench open the driver’s door only to fumble his keys on the ground with an embarrassed groan.

Levi held back a grin, biting his lip as he crossed one leg over his knee and took a sip of his own beer. His friends weren’t so bad after all, he mused, watching Farlan drive away as Isabel pulled a pack of cigarettes from the pocket of her flannel shirt.

“Want one?” She offered the pack to him, holding it up in his direction.

“No. You know I don’t smoke anymore,” Levi admitted heavily. It was a tempting offer, even more tempting with how shit he’d been feeling recently, but it still wasn’t worth it. That’s what he told himself, at least, as the click of Isabel’s lighter and the glow as she lit up her cigarette taunted him.

“Too bad,” she remarked, “Guess you can add that to the list then.” She leaned back in the little metal folding chair, kicking her feet out to slouch down further.

“What list?”

“Of shit you don’t do anymore. What _do_ you do anymore, anyway?” Plucking the cigarette from her lips, she breathed a lungful of smoke up towards the ceiling. Its organic musk pricked at Levi’s nose as a wave of nostalgia washed over him. Isabel’s garage, its piles of tools, the half-cataloged parts she’d salvaged, the smell of gasoline, even the rough texture of the tires beneath his hand were all tactile, solid, and satisfying in their way.  A dilapidated wreck sat in the corner, ripped open to its guts out of curiosity and then abandoned in favor of real work.

“What do I do?” he repeated, watching Isabel and the glow of her cigarette. “Not much.” It was the truth, and Levi had no trouble admitting it.

“What about that hot poetry guy?”

“Huh?”

“The blonde one. I thought for sure you’d get some when we went to the bar a few months ago. Big guys like that- I thought you were into that kind of thing.” Isabel propped her head up with one hand on the table, looking at Levi. She took another puff of her cigarette, blowing the smoke in his direction before she tapped ash idly onto the floor beneath the table.

“Yeah, I guess.” His beer was only half-gone, but it was no longer cold and drinking it was becoming a lot less appetizing as he swirled the can, letting the liquid slosh inside. This wasn’t really a subject Levi wanted to be reminded of, especially when it was the thing leaving him in such a funk recently. It wasn’t any of Isabel’s business, anyway. But maybe it wouldn’t hurt-

“We fucked,” he deadpanned, watching Isabel’s face for a reaction. She blinked, and narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Any good?”

“Yeah.” He’d answered too quickly, the immediate rise of Isabel’s brows were evidence of that. A slow smile spread across her face as she took another pull on the cigarette, its end flaring as it burnt. “So, how’s that going then?”

“It’s not. We’re not fucking anymore. Haven’t seen him in a while. No hookups, no texts, no nothing.”

“Oh,” Isabel said. She considered his words, alternating between staring at his face and frowning slightly. Levi let her think, let the words sink in and permeate the garage with their weariness and the lingering pangs of regret that accompanied them. He stared out the open front of the garage, into the small parking lot. He couldn’t see much beyond the front lights of the place, the blurred circles of illumination turning everything else to featureless dark. It was easy to imagine though, wide tracks of flat land stretching out from the road, the sparse buildings squatting like rocks as they tried desperately to blend into shades of burnt earth and baked stone.

It wasn’t as though he hadn’t seen it coming. He’d known there was no point in investing anything in Erwin. He’d thought he hadn’t, had told himself he wouldn’t, but the fact that not even Isabel and Farlan’s company could shake him from his brooding mood said otherwise.

“You’ve got it bad, don’t you?” At the sound of Isabel’s voice, its notes more sympathetic and tender than he’d expected, his focus shifted back into the clutter of the garage.

“No,” he dismissed the accusation, arranging his features into a passive mask.

Isabel rolled her eyes, her bangs dancing back and forth as she shook her head.

“Bull. Shit. You like him. _Like_ like,” she drove home her point with a jab of her cigarette.

With a long sigh, Levi crumbled. “Alright. Yeah. I like him. But it doesn’t matter. It’s not like I expected anything.”

“That’s fucking sad.” With one last, deep inhale, Isabel finished her cigarette and flicked it onto the floor, grinding the flickering tip out with the heel of her boot.

Staring at the smudge of ash and the flattened paper crushed to nothing under the rubber of her sole, Levi nodded.

Isabel wasn’t wrong.

* * *

 

Levi found himself back at the garage sooner than expected. An alarming clunking noise from his front suspension that he’d noticed halfway through the week while ripping around corners on his way home forced his hand. Metallic warning noises were never a good sign, and he couldn’t afford to lose the truck- not when there was no other way to get to work. At the very least he’d nursed it along to the weekend, it wasn’t like he had any plans for Saturday evening anyway. Pulling into the small parking lot after glimpsing the peeling paint spelling out ‘Magnolia Motors’ on the faded sign, he hopped out of the truck into the dry, sage-scented evening and sauntered in the open garage doors.

“Hey, Izzy! Got a ball joint that’s gone down the shitter. I’ve got all night to burn if you’ll give me a good deal on the fix,” he called out.

“Hundred bucks!” Isabel’s voice came from the tiny back office.

“What? Come on-,” Levi groaned, stopping mid-sentence as he noticed the garage’s other occupants.

Parked in front of the usual wrecks sat a motorcycle- black and gleaming, not a fleck of dust or a single scratch on any part of its brilliant chrome tailpipe and low, sleek form. It was unmistakable, all coiled power and smooth curves. And on that impeccably clean motorcycle leaned a tall, impeccably gorgeous man: Erwin.

“Hello, Levi,” Erwin smiled, his perfect blonde hair and straight teeth too much to bear in Levi’s current state of desperation, “It’s been a while.”

Rooted to the spot, Levi stared at the man, not even bothering to hide the wave of anger that rose behind his eyes. “Oh, fuck you,” he grumbled, “Perfect. Just fucking perfect.”

“I agree.” Erwin’s placid statement rankled Levi to the core, his hands curling into fists as his nails bit sharp into the skin of his palms. Levi opened his mouth, ready to insult Erwin, to admonish him, anything to relieve the pressure of his frustration. But as the small door to the partitioned office swung open and Isabel emerged, his anger caught in his throat and fizzled flat. His mouth snapped closed, his jaw set. There was nothing he had to say to Erwin, and nothing he had a right to be angry about in the first place.

“A hundred bucks, Levi, take it or leave it,” Isabel said with her hands on her hips, “I’m happy for your help, but parts cost money and I can’t change that.” The manner-of-fact air in her words dispelled most of the tension as Levi internally admitted defeat on both fronts.

“Fine,” he said, “but you better tell me what the fuck Blondie is doing here.”

“He’s a customer,” Isabel smiled, “called earlier this week to make an appointment, even.” Pulling open drawer after drawer, she rooted through a large grey toolbox. “We had a nice chat this afternoon while I worked on the bike. Plus, he’s pretty handy with a wrench,” she added, wiggling her eyebrows and triumphantly pulling a chewed-up ballpoint pen from the bottom drawer.

Levi huffed his irritation in response, looking everywhere but at Erwin even as the presence of glowing blue eyes trained on his face made him twitch. “He would be,” he muttered, beginning to feel an uncomfortable mix of betrayal and excitement as Isabel shot him occasional glances, her face stretched by an increasingly mischievous smile. “…calls you… not me…”

“Levi, if I’ve offended you in some way please tell me.” The calm in Erwin’s voice was maddening, almost as maddening as the way he leaned forward ever-so-slightly, as though his current conversation with Levi was the most important thing in the world.

“Offended-?” Levi gaped at the man, silently cursing Isabel for letting any of this happen. “Offended? Are you kidding? I’m not offended- I’m pissed!”

“Well either way, I’d prefer if you told me why.”

“Why?” Levi fumed, the sparks taking hold again as his anger rekindled.

He’d given up. He’d accepted that there was nothing between them. He’d moped and mourned the shittiness of it all in his own way and accepted the only conclusion he could come to: Erwin had left.

He didn’t care. He’d gone back to his routine. It had been fine, okay even.

But now that Erwin was asking, the calm interest that glowed in his eyes, his shiny blonde hair parted and combed, his bike spotless, his fucking leather pants just as tight and his fucking thighs just as delicious as ever, none of it was okay.

Erwin, who’d blown into his life like a hurricane and left just as quickly, was asking what he’d done wrong.

“Why?” Levi’s voice went louder as his neck grew hot. “Why am I pissed? I  think that’s pretty damn clear.”

“Well, it’s not to me. Surely, we’ve enjoyed the time we spent together.” Erwin’s words were just as calm, just as composed, but a hint of something more danced in his eyes, making them flicker as his voice pitched lower and his next words shot straight to Levi’s groin. “You certainly seemed to enjoy it.”

The burn in Levi’s neck spread as he frowned. “That’s not the point,” he hissed, taking a step towards Erwin and glaring. Isabel’s head bobbed low again behind the toolbox, sinking down while she hid herself from the thickening air and Levi’s palpable anger.

Erwin did not budge.

“Oh?”

“You know it isn’t. I didn’t expect much, but you could have at least called. Or texted. Anything. Something.”

“I was busy,” Erwin shrugged, the casual motion of his broad shoulders in stark contrast to the blazing glow deepening in his eyes as Levi stepped closer.

“Too busy to text?” Levi accused, one more step closing the distance between them as his head tilted back. “Too busy? It. Takes. Ten. Fucking. Seconds.” He punctuated each word with a jab of his pointer finger into Erwin’s chest.

Perfect teeth flashed as Erwin returned Levi’s gaze, unfolding from his relaxed lean on the bike to his full height and towering over Levi. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Levi,” he growled, the low utterance a sultry taunt.

“Well you fucking did and-,”

The jangling chime of the phone ringing echoed through the heavy stillness of the garage, stopping Levi mid-sentence as Isabel jumped up from behind the toolbox.

“Boys! Boys!” she shouted at them, jogging back to the office, “Cut it out. I need to get this.” Wrapping a hand around the office’s door frame she swung into it while the phone rang again, pausing with one hand hovering over the receiver. “You better shut up!” she warned as she answered it.

“Hello, this is Magnolia Motors, your companions on the road to reliability! How may I help…” As the sing-song of Isabel’s practiced introduction drooped and trailed off, Levi turned slowly from the man standing uncomfortably close to look into the office. Holding the receiver to her face as her expression darkened, Isabel stood in the doorway. “I don’t think… what is…?” Her words were halting, as though the conversation wasn’t making sense on the other end. Her face collapsed into a look of frustration and confusion. “Who is this? Far- ? What, Farlan? Is that you?”

The note of panic caught Levi’s attention. A wave of wrongness rolled off of Isabel, and Levi’s hands tensed as Erwin also turned, sensing the disturbance. She held the phone slightly away from her ear, her eyes wide as her fingers turned whiter and whiter where they gripped the black plastic receiver. “Farlan, what? What have you done?” The fear was obvious in her voice as it spiked, cracking on a shrill note as it reached a fever pitch.

Levi rushed over, all thoughts of his argument with Erwin gone as he tried to piece together the situation.

“This isn’t funny!” She shouted into the phone, as Levi drew close enough to make out the gravelly, rumbling voice on the other end. “What do you want?” Isabel yelled, “What is this?” The words were impossible for Levi to make out, but a shrill cry that ripped from the phone made him freeze in his tracks. Familiar- it was so familiar. Eliciting the same physical response those noises had before, his teeth grit and the hair on the back of his neck stood on end.

“What do you want?” Isabel repeated, the panic and desperation tearing her voice as she pleaded. The answering shrieks and guttural groans amidst garbled words responded as she continued, trying to force some sense from them with her pleas, “What do you want? I don’t-,” with a click the call cut off, the momentary silence and the following hum of the dial tone leaving her trembling as Levi reached out, grabbing a shoulder to steady her. Clutching the phone to her chest, Isabel bit her lip, looking over to Levi.

“They’ve- they’ve-  got him. They’ve got Farlan.”

“Who?” Levi urged, squeezing her shoulder.

“I- I- d-don’t know,” she stammered, “The howling things. On. On the phone…”

A chill passed down Levi’s spine at her words- ‘the howling things’. There was no mistaking it, not after he’d heard their noises himself. These were things he’d faced before- things he’d fought behind the Waffle House. Things he hadn’t expected to meet again.

“They’ve got Farlan? How do you know?”

Isabel nodded, her breath still coming in uneven hitches. “I heard him. He yelled for me and you, then-,” she paused, regaining some of her composure to continue, “-then he didn’t.” She gripped the phone tightly to her breast, the wild look in her eyes still blazing.

“Where are they? Did you hear anything?”

“I don’t know, Levi,” she answered, her voice shrinking, “I don’t know. I don’t. Farlan… who- what were those things?” As Isabel’s eyes pleaded with him, Levi shook his head, squeezing her shoulder in reassurance.

“I’ll find him, Izzy.”

“Check Hagan.”

At the sound of Erwin’s deep voice both Levi and Isabel looked up, the seriousness of the statement surprising them both.

“What?” Levi asked first.

“Hagan, the ghost town. It lies an hour’s drive from here,” Erwin added.

Eyes narrowing, Levi scrutinized the man before responding. “How do you know they’re there?”

With a heavy sigh Erwin stepped back to give them some room, crossing his arms and looking away, staring out the open garage doors and into the distance. For a moment they all stood, Isabel clutching the phone, Erwin’s face turned to the road and his eyes trained on the distance, and Levi watching them both, intent on every flicker and twitch.

“They like old things,” Erwin answered, “Things humans no longer have use for.”

“There are other ghost towns.”

Acknowledging the statement with a nod, Erwin continued. “That’s true, but Hagan is one of the closest. I’ll admit that it is a guess, but it’s an educated one. I can say no more.”

The flickers of annoyance at Erwin’s answer died quickly in Levi’s mind. This single piece of information was all they had to go on, and he had no doubt that Erwin knew the nature of the kidnappers better than anyone else- after all, they’d been the reason for their meeting. With that, it was easy to decide.

There was only one option.

“I’m going to Hagan,” Levi stated, letting go of Isabel’s shoulder and straightening up, steeling himself for whatever was to come. With a light frown, Isabel hung up the phone.

“Wait.” She turned away from them both, walking around the office’s small desk. As Levi watched, uncertain what he was waiting for, she took a ring of keys from her pocket, flipping through to a miniature flat one that she inserted into the bottom drawer of the desk, opening it and reaching in to retrieve something. The mystery remained for only a moment- Isabel unceremoniously pulling something from the drawer’s further reaches and offering it to Levi.

It was a knife.

“Take it,” she said, her fingers wrapped around its leather sheath as she held the handle out for him.

Levi stared, blinking away his amazement at the weapon she held. It wasn’t the fact that Isabel had a knife in her desk that surprised him- that was something he’d have expected. It was the fact that she had this _particular_ knife. This knife he’d gotten rid of. He’d left it behind, along with the past. This knife he’d thrown away and forgotten.

Only he hadn’t, because it was unmistakable, the burnished leather sheath worked with a complex design, endless knots coiled and repeated in an intricate pattern of unending ropes. Its handle was plain, dark wood, its blade long, flat on one edge and gently curved on the other. Though its sharp steel blade was encased safely in the leather, Levi knew its form all too well.

“I can’t take that, Isabel,” he managed, his throat tight and dry.

“Yes, you can.” Isabel looked at him, their eyes communicating more than words could ever hope to. There was no one other than Levi who knew better the weight of that knife than Isabel or Farlan. “You can and you will.” Her gaze was steady as she offered it again.

“It’s yours, Levi,” she whispered, “it always has been.”

His hand closed over the knife’s cool handle, fingers finding their place with an ease that made his heart ache. As Isabel let go, its weight settled in his palm, the familiarity washing bitterness over his tongue. There was no use in denying it- holding the knife felt more natural than a welder’s torch ever would.

It was _his_ knife.

Without a word Levi turned away, striding towards the garage doors. As he passed, Erwin reached out, catching his elbow, making him look over as the man spoke.

“I will go with you, to Hagan.”

“No,” Levi refused, tugging his arm easily from Erwin’s loose grip and resuming his course.

“I know the way.” Erwin’s voice followed him, but Levi did not stop, did not pause.

“No!” he called back, “This isn’t your business!”

As Levi walked across the garage, the sun’s low rays lighting him in a blazing curtain that travelled up his body and reached his face as he squinted and stepped into the open air. He shoved the knife in his back pocket, sheath and all, its presence both bitter and achingly sweet where it pressed against him. A pair of ravens called, their cackling cries following him across the parking lot. As he got into his truck, he shook his head. This was his business, not anyone else’s, and certainly not Erwin’s.

Bad business.


	4. Valhalla

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi heads off to rescue Farlan, but Erwin insists on following. The reluctant help Levi accepts turns out to be useful indeed...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is very long. I regret nothing.
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://ladymacbethsspot.tumblr.com/) where I reblog Eruris, garbage, and post occasional writing (that ends up here). I also have a [Twitter](https://twitter.com/MmeMacbethsSpot). I guess.

The dirt and hills turned to fiery bronze and burnished umber as the sun took its course over the desert, clinging to the edges of the endless horizon while it rested from its long journey traversing the wide, open sky above the plateau. Low-hanging brightness shone in through the driver’s side of the truck, filling half of Levi’s vision while the brown-grey highway stretched forward in front of him. Even through the glass he could feel the heat on his face, the other half of him cooling in shadow. Thin desert air couldn’t hold the heat of the day and it fled quickly as he tore down the road, the scorched yellows and oranges eaten up by growing pools of dark that grew from the bases of scrub bushes and flowed from beneath sparse cottonwoods.

The deceptive flatness of the landscape made it seem emptier, the few cars he passed as singular and lonely as his own old truck. The mountains in the distance turned shades of muted red then faded to purple and dull, the cloudless sky above taking on a smooth gradient of midnight blue sweeping across to smother the last rays of blazing light. And Levi drove, north from the city, leaving the traces of civilization far behind him, travelling over the abandoned land. A pale specter of the waxing moon hung in the unreachable altitudes of the stratosphere, cold and distant. The only signs of human habitation were billboards and gas stations, their lights and colors jarring where they burst from dirt and dusky plants, unnatural boxy forms that screamed fluorescence and concrete into the earth’s silence.

Levi drove fast. The speed limit was high. He had a long way to go and he was already late. The knife sat on the bench seat next to him, taking up far more space than it had any right to. When he’d gotten into the truck he’d snapped the radio dial to ‘off’, knowing the stations he liked would only last a half hour outside the city before crackling to nothing. The silence felt better anyway. The night was his time, and Levi needed no company.

As he passed by the spines of mountains, the gashes of arroyos cut into hard tracks of earth, revealing its bones. The low lumps of bush-dotted hillocks rose and fell to either side, the strange bulk of night-black rocks standing proud from the rest serving as landmarks. He turned his headlights on, the high beams cutting over the asphalt as the sun’s last rays disappeared beneath the jagged horizon. All warmth and color fled with it, leaving blues and blacks, shadows and silhouettes indistinguishable under the moon’s faraway glow and his headlights’ harsh angle.

The feeling of the road with its white noise and steady thrum beneath his truck’s wheels eased some of the adrenaline from his veins. Lulling him into a type of hypnotic watchfulness, only the cars travelling in the opposite direction, sweeping beams across his vision, kept time in the dark. They flicked and flashed by, each indicating some arbitrary distance he’d drawn closer to his destination.

Pulling off of the highway, Levi slowed down to a crawl as he drove through a large casino parking lot to its back. He knew the way to Hagan, had done his share of driving into the middle of nowhere and back. The asphalt turned to gravel, small stones shifting under his tires, as he pulled up in front of the gate at the back of the lot, marked by a cow catcher. The gate was open, and Levi rolled through, not stopping to read the sign posted nearby as he eased onto the dirt road beyond. Even traveling at what felt like a bumpy snail’s pace after the highway, the tires kicked up dust behind him, and Levi could not afford to go any slower.

He grit his teeth with each jolt on the primitive road, hoping the ball joint would hold and praying nothing else would choose this moment to give out, especially since the likelihood that he was trespassing was increasing with every half-mile. Leaving the lights of the road and cars behind, he pressed on.

After a handful of miles something caught his eye. A flicker in his rear-view mirror, a light bobbing behind him. It seemed almost unnatural, the single round lamp growing and burning brighter when he’d left them all behind. He slowed down, squinting at the mirror, distracted from the road for a moment until a familiar rumble made him swear. The light was from a motorcycle, it’s deep roar unmistakable, its presence drawing steadily closer until it filled his mirror and blinded him from behind. Frowning, Levi put on the brakes, not bothering to pull over as he slowed to a stop and marched from his truck, determined to confront Erwin.

The motorcycle screeched to a halt over loose gravel, kicking up dust into Levi’s face as he covered it with his hands, coughing. Mere feet from him its idling rumble cut, the engine silenced and its light flicked off, the piercing call of twin ravens above making him look up to see Erwin swing his leg over the bike. His stride was easy, confident, as he took three steps towards Levi. The ravens called again, circling above before landing on the leather saddle of the motorcycle, folding their wings away and watching with intelligent black eyes.

“Why are you following me?” Levi demanded, not bothering to control the tone or volume of his voice when there was only one other person to hear it.

Erwin’s face was neutral, the passive mask over his features one that Levi had seen before. “I am not. I am merely travelling in the same direction.”

“Bullshit,” Levi huffed, glaring at him and the two gigantic birds perched on the motorcycle. The ravens glared back, their gaze mirroring his challenge. With a shake of his head, Levi dismissed them. He had no time to argue. “Whatever. I don’t need help. You know that.”

Erwin nodded. “That may be, but this is not your fight.”

Anger rose within Levi at the implications. If Erwin was suggesting that he could not fight these things, these monsters, foes he’d already faced once, then the man was sorely mistaken. Or, if Erwin thought he could stop Levi, then they’d have even more to settle between themselves. Farlan’s safety was on the line. It absolutely was his fight.

“What the fuck do you mean?” Levi’s face felt tight as he forced the question from between pursed lips. He was going to Hagan. He was going to fight the things. He was going to bring Farlan back. Nothing and no one could change that.

“…it is my fault,” Erwin murmured, the expressionless mask slipping for a moment, cracking with a downturn of lips and a furrow deepening between heavy brows. The slight change would have gone unnoticed if Levi had not been looking for it, had not been focused so keenly by his anger. 

“The hell? What’s with that shit?” Levi continued, “You don’t even know Farlan.”

His head bowing, Erwin broke their eye contact to look down, his gaze fixing on the grubby toes of Levi’s sneakers. He nodded, broad shoulders sagging slightly. “You’re correct, I do not. But I know you, Levi. It is enough,” he said, all command and fight gone from the admission.

Levi’s chest clenched, the way the man before him bent to avoid his eyes loosening the grip of rage and washing something else through him.

“And?” Levi asked. His eyes flicked behind Erwin, seeing the ravens tilt their heads to look at him, considering him for a long moment before Erwin responded.

“And I have enemies. Old ones,” he added, his voice wearier than Levi could recall, reminding him of the way Erwin had looked after their first night together. Continuing, Erwin spoke, “I have enemies that have followed me in lives past, that will follow me in lives yet to come. They will pursue me until Ragnarök. And they will come again when the cycle repeats itself.”

Both curious and exasperated with Erwin’s circuitous answer, Levi urged him further. “What does that have to do with me? With Farlan and Isabel?”

“Nothing… at least that is what I had hoped.” Erwin straightened up slightly, finally meeting Levi’s gaze as his ravens mimicked the earnest posture. The blaze of blue in his eyes was still present, but not the same cold fire- it had blurred and warmed at the edges to something more like a glow. He lifted a hand, fingers reaching towards Levi’s cheek before pausing less than an inch from his face. “That’s why I…”

Erwin’s hand dropped to his side.

“That’s why you didn’t call me,” Levi stated, knowing it was the truth.

Somewhere between a shrug and a nod, Erwin’s neck and shoulders moved as he whispered. “Perhaps. This is not what you deserve.”

Levi’s mouth tightened. He was as reluctant as Erwin to admit that it was possible he had been wrong, that he had misjudged the man before him, and that he could use any help he could get. But the childish frustration was hard to shake, more a product of how snubbed he’d felt earlier than anything real. Erwin had been man enough to tell him at least part of the truth. For someone he hadn’t expected anything from, he was sure getting a lot.

Turning away from Erwin and his grim expression, from his ravens and their brooding gaze, from the monstrous motorcycle and any remaining scraps of reluctance or good sense, Levi took a deep breath as he headed back to the cab of his truck. He called out to Erwin, trying to keep the smirk stealing at the corners of his mouth from his voice, “Alright. I could use a little help. Especially if my truck kicks the bucket. Isabel said you were good with a wrench, and you’re not bad with your hands either.”

* * *

 

About a mile from where Levi remembered Hagan being, he turned off the headlights of his truck. Behind him the motorcycle did the same as they slowed, trying to reduce the signs of their presence. The moon’s light was enough to drive by as long as they were careful, and Levi didn’t relish the thought of tipping their enemies off too quickly. After rolling another half-mile or so in the dark, Levi pulled off the dirt track and parked, thinking they could cover whatever distance remained on foot.

Erwin had pulled over too, nestling the motorcycle between some scrub a few feet away. The beat of wings in the night drew Levi’s attention to where he stood, two ravens catching up to them and flapping as they settled on the handlebars and seat of the motorcycle. He watched as Erwin put an arm out, one of the large birds hopping on while Erwin leaned close, speaking to it in a language of open vowels strung together by hushed consonants that rolled from his tongue. He lifted his forearm and the bird took flight, its companion flapping off to join it.

Before Levi could ask what he’d done, Erwin turned to the desert around them, sliding his thumb and forefinger into his mouth as he took a deep breath. The piercing whistle he blew made Levi shiver, its high note turning to a minor key before it lowered and dropped off.

“The hell,” he hissed, “we’re trying _not_ to be noticed!”

Erwin held a finger to his lips, turning to Levi as he responded with a single word: “Wait.” He looked back out into the distance, towards the moon and the direction he’d whistled. Levi shuffled his feet, crossing his arms over his thin t-shirt in the cold air. He didn’t want to stand around long, but he knew he’d soon be freezing his ass off either way. Settling for looking out into the emptiness, he did wait, just as Erwin had requested.

Each time he was about to say something, each time he grew antsy, the sight of Erwin patiently focused on things he could not see made him pause. When he heard it, the warbling howl of a wolf that set his teeth on edge, Erwin gave a small nod, and he squinted into the dark. A lonely baying answered- long, melodious notes echoing off the hills. Its direction was different than the first, but closer, and in a few moments Levi caught sight of the sounds’ source: two shadows moving towards them.

The forms grew as they approached, their movement between the patches of blank dark under the moon allowing Levi to make out the shapes of two large wolves. They trotted up to Erwin, their lithe forms tall enough to reach the man’s hip at their shoulder. Bowing their heads as he reached out to touch them, Erwin scratched the tawny fur of their necks and knelt down to run his hands over their backs. They panted happily as their master spoke to them in the same throaty tones he’d used with the birds, their heads bobbing in acknowledgement.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me,” Levi said, staring at the huge animals. “You’ve got pet wolves? What even is this shit?”

Erwin looked up, still stroking the surprisingly playful beasts and mussing their fur as they nudged against him begging for more. “They are not pets, Levi. This is Geri, that is Freki.”

“Huh,” Levi sniffed, “weird names. They mean anything?”

“Yes,” Erwin nodded as he stood. “Greed. Avarice. The ravenous one.”

“Which?”

“Both.”

Shaking his head, Levi turned back to the road. “Alright, whatever. You, me, some wolves and a pair of fucking crows. Great. Got anything else? Maybe a vampire bat, or like, a tiger or some shit? Not like this could get any weirder.” He stalked off down the road, not waiting for a response and receiving none as Erwin and the wolves followed.

They picked their way over the moonlit plateau, moving on steps placed carefully to minimize any sound. There was nowhere to hide in the open landscape, the shadows of the scraggly vegetation providing little in the way of cover. Instead they relied on their own alertness, scanning a wide radius around for any hint of motion.

But none came, even as they got close enough to make out the ruins clearly. Only the gentle hush of wind through dry branches and over spiny leaves reached their ears, the occasional sounds of animals in the night, and the rhythm of Levi’s own heart as it beat faster in anticipation.

It felt wrong, too silent even for the desert, something made his hackles rise as Levi looked over the chest-height remains of a wall, its adobe bricks tumbled onto the ground years ago.

He crouched down, surveying the ghost town. ‘Town’ was a generous word for it, more descriptive of what it had once been rather than what it was now. A pitiful collection of buildings, mostly just two or three sections of wall, stood near a hill that rose behind. The rectangular gaps where windows had once been yawned open, moonlight streaming through some while others were dark with shadow. Stray boulders and earthen bricks littered the ground, supports pushing up from the dirt in some of the crumbling foundations.

There was no sign of movement, no sign of struggle that Levi could detect, even as his eyes turned to search the dry ground for tracks.

The largest building, the weathered shell of what was large enough to have been a hotel, was the focus of the ruined village. It lay at the back, closest to the hill, and an almost-intact wall blocked any view inside. If Farlan was here, it was as likely a place as any to put him, and Levi knew they’d have to check to be certain either way. A flash of uncertainty crossed his mind- if Farlan wasn’t here, if they were mistaken and he was in some other abandoned town in the middle of the lonely desert night, if he’d been hurt and they were too late, if-

There were too many possibilities to consider, and the bitterness rising at the back of Levi’s throat was more than reason enough to stick to the decisions he’d already made.

There was only one way to find out.

Levi stood, and Erwin rose to his feet as well.

“We need to get closer,” Levi whispered, and Erwin nodded. The wolves fell into step on either side of them, their bulk slinking through the crisp air on silent padded paws. They rounded the half-wall, approaching the first building of the village carefully. A tiny structure, boxy and barely large enough for more than a single room, the straight black shadow it cast on the earth looked unnatural. Too straight, its unbroken line too perfect and too dark.

A chill passed through Levi’s spine as they approached it.

Something felt strange, wrong, a sharp iciness to the air, something weighing it down and crystallizing the cold around them.

When Levi looked up to the sky, he paused.

The moon’s pale form was ringed with a halo, a blurred repetition of its light like a ghostly ripple from its source. It was a beautiful sight- strange and surreal, refracting pale blues and purples.

But it wasn’t winter, and ice crystals above the parched desert was troubling.

“Something’s wrong,” Levi said.

He looked over to Erwin, receiving a nod of agreement as the man raised a hand and the wolves stilled.

Tracing a circle with his pointer finger in the air, Erwin stared at them.

“Gå nu!” he told them,“Søg.” As the simple words left his mouth the wolves turned, each choosing a different direction as they loped off, heading toward the other buildings to investigate. “They will scout. We’ll hear them when they find prey,” Erwin explained. Satisfied with the explanation, but still on edge, Levi swallowed and tamped down the rising unease in the pit of his stomach. They had to get closer.

Even if something was wrong, even if this was a trap, they had no choice.

They slipped into the shadow of the tiny building, staying close to its pockmarked wall before crouching down to cover a wide, open stretch of ground. Hurrying, they ran over loose pebbles and avoided the gnarled roots of bushes curling from the dry ground, their knotted forms bent to extremes as they grasped at thin soil. The swish and skitter of small rocks their shoes kicked up sounded loud in Levi’s ears, rough like sandpaper in the otherwise quiet night.

He almost didn’t notice it, even as his eyes and ears strained to pick out anything out of place in their surroundings.

As the toe of Levi’s shoe reached the shadow of the collapsed building they headed for, he heard it.  

A crack- the snap of dried branch.

Levi whirled at the sound.

A gasp wrung from his throat.

Approaching them, their black forms writhing in the dark, their edges uncertain even as their limbs made jerky movements, were the same things he’d faced before.

The moon had been in front of him- the wrong direction.

He hadn’t seen their shadows approach.

Bile rose in his throat as the wind shifted, wafting the stench of sulfur and rot over him. He crouched, pulling the knife from the sheath he’d fixed to his belt. Holding it in front of him, he glared at the beasts, readying his body for their assault.

They snarled, no longer attempting to hide their presence, the one closest shrieking into the sky as it reared up and bounded forward, closing the distance between them in a flash as Levi’s knife swung down in an arc. He nicked a limb, the thing’s balance wobbling as it lashed out with claws, raking the air in front of his nose as he jumped back. The second time Levi did not miss, landing a long scrape across the beast’s shoulder as its companions screamed unearthly notes into the night, making his ears pound and thrum and his jaw tighten. Levi muscled forward, kicking a leg from beneath the creature as it tried to cover its shoulder, the shine of blood already showing against its dull body. He finished it with a stab of his knife, catching under the thing’s ribs and opening its gut, stinking organs spilling onto the ground. He wrinkled his nose in disgust.

The two others were distracted by the gore for only a second. They set upon him at once, a whirling fury of teeth and fur, snapping and screeching. His head pounded with their calls. Evading the swish of his knife through the air, a beast barreled into his side, knocking him down hard. The impact shot through his knees as his palm hit the dirt. He did not let go of the knife. His knuckles scraped across the ground as he felt another impact to his ribs. Off-balance, he crumpled. Curling into a ball on instinct, protecting his stomach, Levi rolled onto his side. A clawed foot slammed down where he had just lain.

Clutching the knife to his chest, Levi hunched his back over to take a blow. Searing trails of pain stung their way down his back as his shirt ripped. He hissed, but did not flinch. Levi shifted the grip on his weapon. With a grunt he rolled onto his back and kicked his legs up. Ignoring the sting of gravel, his feet connected with the hips of a beast. Swinging his blade back-handed in a wide circle, he made enough room to regain his feet. As he did so he slashed at the creatures, aiming for joints, spaces between bone, weak spots that sent them into a frenzy of flailing and yowling. Caught by surprise, they fell quickly to the sure swipes of his blade. Its razor-edge hummed through the air and came away slicked with blood.

With a heavy _whump_ the beasts fell at his feet. Their putrid bodies twitching in vain as their lives bled from them. He turned, remembering Erwin, only to be met with a metallic _clang_. Fighting his own creature, one that stared down with pale fangs dripping in the moonlight, Erwin pulled back the long, metal spear he held. Drawing his arm back, he balanced it like a javelin. He threw the weight of his back into its momentum, jabbing it through the beast’s neck. A gurgling cry came from above as the thing toppled, Erwin’s heavy boot on its windpipe silencing the noise as he pulled the spear free.

Shaking his head, Levi pointed at the weapon in Erwin’s hand. “Is that a spear? Where were you hiding that thing?”

“Would you believe I had it in my pocket?” Erwin asked, the moon lighting his features, making Levi shiver as he noticed the hungry blaze consuming blue eyes, the shadows his loose bangs threw over chiseled cheekbones, the ragged scar that split his brow, and his stately nose.

He looked good fighting, strong and proud, in his element.

Cocking his head to the side, Levi shrugged. “Guess I’m not too surprised.” His voice dropped lower, the adrenaline from the fight and Erwin’s striking figure exciting him more than a little, “I mean, considering what else you’re packing, it’s not that impressive.”

Erwin’s laugh rang out in the night, echoing off the hills, making Levi’s blood run hot and thick to his groin as his heart sped. The lines of Erwin’s neck bobbed with the joyous sound in the deadened night, chasing any lingering doubts from Levi. It replaced them with a rising thirst- for motion and struggle, for testing his skill, for tasting the fear of his enemies.

“Let us go,” Erwin said, his laughter still echoing in Levi’s body as energy welled up within him, “Let us fight. Together.”

Driven on by Erwin’s enthusiasm, they headed deeper into the ruins. No longer bothering to stay hidden, the creatures of blackness oozed and slid from the shadows of buildings. To their front, their sides, closing in from behind, their numbers grew- uncountable. Small and large, a horde of things had taken shape, their noise rising as they approached. In the open space between buildings, Erwin stopped, and they faced their enemies.

“Get behind me,” He said, motioning for Levi.

“What? You said ‘together’. I can fight, I’m not-”

“Cover my back,” Erwin interrupted his protests. There was no room for argument. Levi took up his position, his back to Erwin’s, facing away from the town toward whatever stragglers approached from behind. He had only a moment’s time to prepare before the creatures set upon them.

The first ones to reach him were small. A cluster of winged things circled his head, their flaps obscuring his vision as they spiraled closer. Swinging with little finesse, he knocked down the ones he could reach, the clang of Erwin’s spear already sounding behind. As many as he felled, more joined. Just as he made headway, thinning their numbers, a second swarm appeared. They engulfed him. Levi swore and batted them away from his face. The rough skim of wings across his cheek repulsed him, making a shiver of disgust run down his neck. Levi punched the air with his empty hand. Making a lucky hit, he felt a blunt impact and heard a screech. The creature fell, but the cloud grew tighter around him, the swish of wings closer and denser. The leathery beats on his face, batting his hair, hitting his legs, engulfed him in a dense flurry. The blows he heard behind were different too, fewer cries and clangs and more whiffs of air followed by nothing.

A raven’s call pierced the sky. Levi looked up, barely able to see outstretched black wings and talons. He ducked, and the bird shot by, through the swarm. It flapped away. Two small bodies fell to the earth. A second cawing cry and a second pair of silent wings came from above. Slicing through, felling the bits of shadow as it passed, the raven pulled up from its dive. His vision clear for a moment, Levi looked up.

Right into the gaping, twisted maw of a creature a foot from him.

He raised his knife.

The bite meant for his face found cold steel. Teeth gnashed on metal as Levi’s hand whipped by. A screech of pain- and blood dripped from the corner of the creature’s mouth. Taking his chance, Levi slashed at its face. His knife ripped across dull, empty-looking eyes, the ooze of blood steaming in its path.

Flailing wildly, the creature reached for him. Head bucking, dangerous in its sightless rage. Levi’s own blade matched it, the flying things still whipping around his vision even as their numbers dwindled with each call of twin ravens. Metal clanged off claws. It found its home in flesh, then wrenched back. Mirroring the beast’s fervor, he fought off its blows. It went down slowly, a whittling away of cuts and nicks. Its fury dragging it on, it fought past all sense, finally collapsing on his feet. Kicking its stinking bulk away, Levi’s focus turned to other shadows closing in.

The beasts came in waves.

Levi fought.

His back was to Erwin’s.

Levi fought.

Yelling and panting, his veins pumped hot with exertion.

Levi slashed and swore and thrust.

His knife hummed with the same energy coiled in every one of his muscles.

The cries of beasts tore the air. The clang and swish of metal rent it.  The croaks and caws of ravens added to the din as wolves snarled and howled in answer.

Levi did not stop when a beast tore a stinging line down his shoulder.

He did not notice when Erwin left him alone in a circle of growing carnage.

He saw and heard and smelled nothing but blood.

Iron and salt.

So much blood- blood that he shed, blood that he bled, blood that that he wiped from his face while his chest heaved fire.

Wearing the things down, their numbers decreasing, Levi felt his knife growing heavy. Erwin’s bulk was no longer there to hold him up. There was no one left to lean on. He began to give ground, stepping back as the creatures set upon him. A wolf joined his fight, wrestling some of the smaller beasts to the ground and snapping its jaws on their necks and legs. Glad for its help, Levi grimly fought on. He could keep going, but he was getting no closer to Farlan. Though the thrill of the fight was electrifying, he could not afford to waste energy. As some of the adrenaline faded, his cuts and bruises started to burn, his limbs growing stiffer.

Determined to drive the things away, Levi summoned his focus and launched himself at the remaining creatures. Teeth sank into his already-injured shoulder, points of pain exploding sharp and hot in his muscles. The feeling blazed a wave of desperate strength carried by his veins. Levi yelled and punched at one beast while slashing at another.  Making use of every hard, bony joint in his body he muscled through them, his shoulder throbbing and burning. He stabbed one, kicked another to the ground. Dull impacts that he forced with every fiber of strength he could summon. Nothing would stand between him and his goal. He was the knife. Sharp flashes of light shone as the frigid moon reflected off the blade.

He cut them down without mercy, the image of a captive, helpless Farlan blazing in his mind.

When the ground around him was still and the shadows ceased to writhe, Levi returned to himself. The senseless hunger brought on by blood fell away, like wisps of fog rolling off his body. Levi checked his surroundings. From the ruined hotel at the back of Hagan he could hear sounds of battle- cries, shrieks, a wolf’s bay and snarl. The howling things.

He headed towards them.

Jogging to the edge of the hotel wall, Levi paused. He looked around it, taking stock. The action was immediately recognizable, a whirl of motion in the still night. A crowd of beasts had gathered. From the roiling fight came flashes of metal, clangs and shrieks of pain. He could see- Erwin stood at its center. He commanded the battlefield. Standing tall, he was a beacon of strength and perfection among the sea of filthy creatures. His glory shone, hair golden, eyes bright, an unmistakable grin made up of perfect white teeth. The wolves weaved around and through, jaws flashing. The ravens circled and dove above, talons outstretched. Erwin swung and thrust his spear through the beasts, leaving destruction in its wake.

Levi watched in awe.

He watched as Erwin fought, as he bellowed, as he faced the shadows with cold fire in his eyes and steel in his hands. He let the vision wash over him, its force stirring, its violent beauty undeniable.

As Levi stared his free hand found his injured shoulder, finding the wound’s edges and prodding them, pricks of pain in the dull ache making him lick his lips as his gaze lingered on the shine of Erwin’s hair and the tendons standing out in his neck as he called the battle to him. Lost for a moment in rising heat, a sinful mix of leftover adrenaline and renewed arousal, Levi watched as long as he dared.

Until he remembered- Farlan, his purpose here, the distance still between him and his goal.

Tearing his eyes away, Levi scanned the rest of the area within the old hotel’s three walls. At the back, in the furthest corner shrouded in shadow, he saw something. Something taller even than Erwin, taller than any man or animal he’d ever seen. It guarded the area. Its form was giant- human-like but much bulkier, more mountain than man, with a pair of horns bursting up from its forehead. Nearly as tall as the wall, it could barely hide in its shadow, the crown of its bald head shining pale in the moon’s light. Pale and bright- its skin shone like ice, the bluish light of the ringed moon above looking even colder where it hit. The light bent over clear, glass-like horns, catching on wickedly sharp tips.

In the shadows, barely visible behind a leg as thick as a tree, Levi noticed a hint of motion.

Squinting and stepping forward to get a better view, his breath caught.

Someone was there.

Farlan.

That familiar mop of blonde was unmistakable. Tied up and gagged, his friend wriggled feebly against his bonds. Levi bit back his urge to call out, eyes flicking back up to the monstrous giant. He pondered for a moment, which foes to face. He could join Erwin in the fray; he could face the giant alone.

A yelp and a blur- a large tawny body hurtling toward the wall broke his concentration. Freki or Geri, one of the wolves had been flung. Its body hit with a sickening crunch. A bone snapping. A keening cry, stopped with the impact. Levi’s teeth ground. Its form was limp where it fell as the wolf lay stunned.

Levi’s dilemma had increased.

He looked up at the giant. It had taken no notice of the wolf, unthreatened by something so small.

He looked over to Erwin. His steel singing through the air, still finding ever more targets.

He looked to the fallen wolf. It stirred, trying to stand, a hind leg bent at unnatural angles as its weight fell to the ground. Still trying to join its master, it tried again, managing to drag itself a few feet before collapsing. Sensing the wounded animal, dark shadows formed. A trail of smaller creatures broke from the fight, sensing an easy kill as they turned their attention to the wolf.

A streak of beige fur, its color matching the desert, made his decision for him.

The second wolf joined its companion, barking and biting as it ran. When it joined the injured wolf it turned, hackles rising, mouth curling away from naked teeth as it snarled and growled.

It had come to the aid of its fellow.

It was time, Levi decided, to do the same.

Pulling a breath of chilled air into his lungs, Levi forced it back out in a yell, running knife-first into the fray. His shout drew creatures to him. Their heads coming up, swiveling, large and small lumbering and galloping and crawling to meet him as he ran. But nothing could stop his momentum. Like a madman, Levi carved a path forward, swinging his knife. It caught and ripped and cut, trails of blood spattering on the dusty ground, marking his way as he fought to Erwin’s side.

“Levi,” Erwin spoke between grunts and clangs. “I can handle them. You get beh-”

“Shut up,” Levi snarled, kicking at the exposed stomach of a creature while dodging another’s claws. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but stop that shit.” He slashed up, drawing a line of wet blood, opening the fur and flesh of a leering beast. “We’re fighting together, whether you like it or not. I’m not fucking around with Farlan’s life.”

Erwin’s lips pressed into a thin line, but Levi caught a nod of his head.

“Besides,” Levi added, “I could use a little help.”

Though he couldn’t see Erwin’s face, he could hear his grin. The rumble of his laugh bubbled in Levi’s chest, sending ripples of light coursing through him. With renewed energy, Levi set his stance, resting on the balls of his feet, weight low, arms up. With twin yells, deep and clear, ringing off the hills, they welcomed the beasts.

As the creatures pressed in on all sides, Levi’s focus narrowed to what was directly in front of him. He let his body respond on reflex, timing and motion a matter of instinct. The pain in his shoulder faded, growing distant. The cold of the night became inconsequential. The world shrunk to a small point, occupied by his body and Erwin’s, their life force beating back against encroaching dark. Each stab precise, each cut landing where he aimed, the haze of battle rose in Levi’s vision.

He pulled breath after breath into his lungs, feeding oxygen to screaming muscles as he ignored their strain. Nicks and scratches, points of fire lighting his chest and arms only spurred him on. The weight of the knife in his hand, the occasional brush of his shoulder against Erwin’s arm or side, the resistance of his blade were the things Levi could control. They were all that mattered.

The tide of creatures broke, shadows bled from the ruined walls ebbing until they were thin, no longer burgeoning with monsters.

A crackle of cold wafted over Levi.

The giant in the corner stirred.

It’s massive leg rose and fell, shaking the ground, its bulk much closer in only a single step.

Another step brought it within range, and its arm swung down, grasping towards him.

Shoving the rank, hairy body of a beast aside, Levi dodged. Fingers tipped in glass-sharp nails as long as his forearm closed on nothing. The bodies around them scattered in confusion, smaller monsters screeching and fleeing the giant. As a second tree-sized arm rose, Levi’s arms were tangled, his body pressed between two panicked monsters, catching him in the middle as they both pushed in opposite directions. He swung wildly, hoping to inflict enough pain to escape, but the beast in front threw its weight into his chest, knocking the breath from him.

The arm came down.

The chill grew with the air it pushed closer.

Levi’s teeth grit, his body tensing for impact.

With a grunt of effort he freed his knife, almost in time to-

The ringing clang of metal burst above Levi’s head.

Inches from his face, Erwin’s spear held back the giant’s arm.

Metal strained, almost bending where the two met, an impossible force meeting an immovable object.

With a roar, Erwin pushed it back, raining a hurricane of blows on the giant’s arm. It pulled away, readying another attempt. Levi regained his breath, pushing desperately with his injured shoulder into the creatures pinning him, jabbing his knife anywhere that yielded. The pressure on his ribs released, he fought in a flurry of cuts and thrashing hits, unconcerned with his own safety as he pummeled the remaining creatures from him.

He beat them back, giving Erwin space to jab and thrust at the massive giant. Taking the brunt of their aggression, Levi turning it back on them. His lungs heaving, he sliced the fingers of a creature clean off as it reached for Erwin’s back. The wails and yells of Erwin’s fight, the cold blasts of air that accompanied it, telegraphed Erwin’s motions. His shoulder aching, he punched a monster’s throat, kicking it as it crumpled on the ground. The ground shook as the giant missed their bodies again, Erwin redirecting the blow to crush their enemies instead. His blood pounding, he stabbed the empty black eyes from a shadow as its filthy jaws closed on air by Erwin’s elbow. Turning from the stragglers he’d forced into retreat or beaten to the ground, Levi looked over to see the giant looming above, casting its cold shadow as it blocked out the moon’s glow.

The long point of Erwin’s spear flashed, its tip driving into the giant’s thigh. He pulled it out, flicking it to the side as it came, opening a deep gash. As he thrust it forth again, time slowed.

Levi watched, frozen in place, as the giant’s arm swung.

It moved fast, faster than he’d thought possible.

Erwin’s spear jabbed forward, sticking in the giant’s chest.

Arm and spear met, and Levi’s shout ripped from his throat.

“Erwin!”

The spear bent where the giant’s hand grabbed it.

The giant’s other arm swinging across in a flash, nails catching and ripping at Erwin’s torso.

“No!” Levi screamed.

The spear snapped- a clear tone echoing.

And Erwin fell, clutching his arms to cover deep gouges on his side.

Levi saw nothing but rage. His body moved without thought. Surging forward, he pounced on the giant’s wrist, sticking his knife deep. It rose beneath him, lifting easily off the ground as he clung. He pulled out his knife, stabbing again, trying to climb up its arm. The giant whipped its arm around, and Levi’s limbs all clamped down instinctively. He rode out its attempts to shake him off, his chin banging into firm flesh as he pushed the knife in to its hilt and held on.

When he found an opening, pulling his knife out, he stabbed again, higher, using the handhold to climb up. Aiming higher, the blade caught on bone. The giant shuddered, its head falling back as it bayed. The volume of its cry shook Levi’s bones. Taking the chance, Levi pulled the knife out again, ready to stab.

Before he could raise his arm, the giant grabbed him. Thick fingers wormed under him and pulled him off. They wrapped around his hips and legs, squeezing as he was hoisted into the air. It held him high above its head, angry cries buffeting him as he struggled. The pressure on his legs increased. He could feel his muscles straining, bruising. His bones compressing, the pressure turned to an excruciating ache. Levi searched around him for something- anything- any way to get himself free with only his knife.

Finding what he sought, he twisted his body to reach. He slashed at the giant’s wrist, a long slice from front to back, hoping the tendons and nerves were the same as a man’s.

They were.

The unbearable pressure loosened. Levi struggled his legs free. He jumped down from its still-raised hand, launching himself towards its head. His arm reached as far as it could, grabbing at the giant’s ear for purchase as he stabbed wildly with the knife to stop his fall. His grip held, strengthened by necessity, and he dropped on the giant’s shoulder.

Its head whipped around, but Levi’s knife was already finding its home in the side of its neck. He held on to the skin of its ear, keeping himself from being flung from his perch. The knife ripped free and was plunged deep, again and again. Levi stabbed and tore as the giant writhed, flailing wildly. Adjusting his grip, using his blade to anchor into whatever firm muscle he could plunge it beneath, he crouched, planning his next move. The giant’s hand flew past his head, missing him as he ducked. It was too dangerous to stay where he was. He needed to take the giant down quickly. Taking a chance, Levi leaned out as far as he could, swinging his body out while he kept one hand on the monster’s ear and one foot on its shoulder. Throwing his weight and the momentum of his arc behind his knife, he stabbed up, into its throat, aiming for the trachea.

His aim was true.

Piercing thick skin, he pushed deep, feeling the solid muscles give. His hand soaked with cold, blood pouring over his arm. He pulled the knife toward him; he sawed at flesh as the gash opened further. Frigid blood pulsed out over his arm, stiffening his motions as he hacked at its throat. The giant’s baying howls turning to gurgles, its limbs flailing. When he’d worked the knife close, he grabbed its hilt with both hands, relying only on his feet for balance as he wrenched it toward himself. The flesh tore and ripped, disgusting bubbling cries coming from the giant’s throat. Blood welled under the blade, oozing from the wound in cold trickles and slick spurts. Its skin and muscles were firm and strong, but Levi’s resolve was stronger. Opening the gaping wound to the base of the giant’s ear, he cried into the night.

The shoulder beneath his feet wobbled. He let go of the knife lodged in flesh. The giant’s arms no longer reached for him. Its bulk unsteady, his balance wavered as he grabbed at its ear again to stay standing. Levi looked down, seeing Erwin still curled on the ground below.

He took a deep breath.

And jumped.

He landed awkwardly, one ankle buckling as he hit the ground. It rolled and bent, pain slicing up his leg as he fell next to Erwin. With no time to think, no time to dwell on the pain shooting through his ankle as he moved, he pushed himself from the dirt. He grabbed at Erwin’s arms. Hoisting him under his shoulders, pulling the larger man from behind, Levi pushed with his good leg, dragging them both as the giant tipped forward. Every muscle screaming, his ankle searing, Erwin’s weight crushing it further as he wrestled them both across the ground. He heaved Erwin’s bulk a few more feet, cursing his own injuries.

The giant swayed dangerously, its balance gone.

Levi’s arms tightened, hugging Erwin to him, his eyes closing as he prayed.  

The giant fell.

Shaking the ground with its impact, Levi’s teeth clicked.

But he felt no pressure.

No sudden pain.

His body was not crushed.

He opened his eyes, looking first to be sure that Erwin was not trapped beneath it.

Levi sighed out the longest breath he’d ever drawn.

The giant’s head lay a foot from Erwin’s boots, its arm had missed them by little more.

Levi looked down at the man. He was breathing. His eyes were open, though they looked glassy and unfocused. He was conscious, but barely.

Extracting himself fully from underneath Erwin’s large body, taking as much care with his injured leg as possible, Levi shifted himself until Erwin’s head lay in his lap. Taking Erwin’s face, holding it gently in both hands, he laid Erwin’s head on the ground.

Getting to his knees, he bent over the man, relief easing him enough to speak.

“Wait here, Erwin. I’ll get Farlan. You’ll be fine. Just wait.”

Blonde lashes fluttered, and Erwin’s head tilted towards him. It wasn’t much, but the response was enough to satisfy Levi. Using his hands to push himself up, Levi stood on his good leg. He limped over to the giant and pulled at his knife in its neck. It was stuck, and Levi frowned, tugging harder. With a crack it came free, a chunk of rigid muscle and flesh coming with it. His lip curling at the disgusting sight, Levi whipped the knife quickly at the ground, hoping to shake the gore free. The lump of giant flesh flew from its tip, shattering into a million points of light where it hit the dust. Levi stared, watching the broken ice crystals turn to nothing but dark stains as they melted into the ground. Shaking his head, Levi put the clean knife back in its sheath. He looked up to the walls behind the giant, to the corner where he’d seen Farlan.

Farlan was still there, lying bound, and Levi clambered over the giant’s fallen form to get to him. Everywhere he touched the giant’s flesh was cold, ice beneath his fingers that left them slippery and numb. He was at Farlan’s side as quickly as possible, the twisted ankle and his injured shoulder slowing him a little as he limped over. He cut the ropes from Farlan’s body, untying the gag from his mouth.

“You okay?” He asked, helping his friend stand.

“Been better. I can walk at least,” Farlan replied with a thin smile, rubbing at his wrists and arms to get their feeling back.

“Can you drive?”

“Drive?” Farlan looked at him, confused.

“Yeah, can you drive my truck?”

“I mean…” Farlan considered it. He was leaning on Levi, stamping his feet a little to shake the pins and needles from them, staring around the cleared ground at the fallen giant, still taking in the scene. “Probably. Sure. Whatever. You saved me, Levi, I-”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s great and all,” Levi interrupted him, “but I need you to drive the truck. You seem okay enough, but Erwin’s bleeding a lot.” They had no time. He pointed in the general direction of where Erwin lay, knowing the giant’s bulk was hiding his body. Fishing in his back pocket, Levi pulled his keys out and stuffed them into Farlan’s hands, hoping his friend would catch on quickly.

“The truck is a half mile up the road. You can’t miss it. Start her up, I’ll be there as fast as I can.”

“Who’s Erwin? Was he that other guy fighting? Wait, is he that blonde guy? I knew he looked familiar…” Farlan babbled, still trying to get his bearings as he held the keys out in front of himself.

With a long sigh, Levi gave Farlan a push in the general direction of his truck. There was no time and he was tired as fuck. “Go,” he urged, “we don’t have time. The hospital is pretty fucking far away.”

Finally grasping the urgency of the situation, Farlan gave a half-hearted nod and started to walk stiffly away towards the road. Levi turned back, clambering over the frozen giant’s carcass again, noticing that it had become more slick in the few minutes he’d spent untying Farlan. Around it puddles were already forming, and Levi was sure it would melt to nothing before the sun rose over the desert.

When he reached Erwin he was pleased to find the man’s eyes more focused, their glow dampened but visible as they tracked him. He knelt down, the task of lifting and supporting Erwin more difficult than it would be if his body hadn’t been complaining every inch of the way. Hoisting one of Erwin’s arms over his good shoulder he stood, pulling the man to his feet.

“Come on, Erwin,” Levi groaned with the effort, “You’ve got to help me a little here. You weigh a fucking ton.”

“Yes,” Erwin murmured near his ear, nearly making Levi drop him in surprise. Some of the pressure came away from Levi’s shoulders as Erwin regained his feet. It was with shuffling, slow steps that they began the trek out of Hagan and back to the truck.

As they walked, Levi doing his best to support Erwin and still stay off his ankle, Erwin clutching the bloody wounds at his side but still putting one foot in front of the other, Levi couldn’t help but give a small snort of amusement.

“Look at us,” he said, “a couple of beat-up old fools.”

Expecting to laugh alone at his gallows humor, Levi did not anticipate the responding chuckle that rumbled through his shoulder.

“Nonsense,” Erwin spoke. His voice was just as deep and stirring as ever.

“Oh?” Levi asked, looking away to smile a secret smile at the desert as they walked, amused by Erwin’s optimistic banter.

“Yes. You’re the one who is beat up.”

“Shut up,” Levi grumbled. “You’re wounded too.”

“I’ve had worse.”

Levi rolled his eyes, resisting the urge to drop Erwin as they struggled past broken-down walls and the wind-torn shells of the buildings of Hagan, making their way to the gravel road.

They trudged along it, feet dragging and kicking up rocks and dust, their pace excruciatingly slow. There was no way to hurry. They both leaned on each other. Levi stole occasional glances over at Erwin, eyeing the gashes in his side, noting the blood on his hand, how he clutched at the wounds to cover them. He wondered how much blood Erwin had already lost, if it was too much, how much longer he could keep walking even with Levi’s help. He knew that if Erwin fell, if he tripped on a dip in the road, they would both go down and he wasn’t sure he’d be able to pick them both back up again.

Setting his jaw, Levi continued grimly, pushing the thoughts from his mind and instead looking down the road. The truck was not far, and he could see its lights in the distance- Farlan had already started the engine.

“Levi.”

Levi’s steps stuttered, but he kept going.

“Yeah?”

“I was wrong.”

He took another step, not looking over to Erwin, not sure what he’d see in the blue eyes he could feel on his neck.

“I knew you could fight, but I did not trust you. No, that is not right. I did not trust myself. Or, perhaps… I did not- I could not-,” Erwin searched for words as they moved forward. Levi focused on closing the distance between them and the truck, not sure what to say or do other than to continue on. “I- I was wrong. I should not have-,”

“Shut up,” Levi grumbled, shrugging his shoulder under Erwin’s arm. “It doesn’t matter.”

“Levi,” Erwin said, how voice low and quiet, “You were right. I am an old fool.”

“Then shut your mouth,” Levi retorted, fighting down a lump gathering in his throat. “We need to get to the truck. Farlan will take you both to the hospital.”

“And you?”

“I’ll drive your motorcycle there.”

“That is your plan?” Erwin asked, the skepticism obvious in his voice, though thankfully he said no more. Levi shook his head. After all they’d just faced, it didn’t seem like the worst plan he’d ever come up with.

“It’s better than nothing.”

“Yes,” Erwin agreed.

When they reached the idling truck, Erwin slumped against its passenger door. He pulled the keys to the motorcycle from his jacket pocket, pressing them into Levi’s outstretched hand. His fingers closed around Levi’s, holding them together. Looking into Levi’s eyes, his face solemn and open, Erwin sighed.

“Levi,” he began, “I owe you more now than ever. Before, I owed you a meal for the one I ruined. Now, I fear I may owe you this life.” A crooked smile crossed his face, different from the hungry grins, the confident smirks Levi had seen on the man’s lips before. The way it turned Erwin’s lips up, how it lit his face, turning it boyish, slightly unsure, open and vulnerable, made Levi’s chest grow tight as he looked at Erwin.

Levi liked this smile far better than any he’d seen before.

“Give an old fool another chance, Levi,” Erwin said, his eyes searching Levi’s face.

Levi couldn’t help it- the tugging at one side of his mouth, the way his shoulders relaxed as he took in Erwin leaning on the door of his truck, the small, genuine smile gracing his features, blue eyes flickering with warmth.

“Alright. Yeah,” he answered, turning towards the motorcycle, “Text me.”


	5. Draupnir

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi gives Erwin his second chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this fic, and I really hope everyone reading enjoyed it as much as I did. This was a really self-indulgent thing for me from start to finish on a number of fronts (setting, characters, Levi's job, fight scenes, monsters, mythology, lots of breakfasts...) and I'm shocked and happy to see that it has resonated with other people.
> 
> Find me on [Tumblr](https://ladymacbethsspot.tumblr.com/) where I reblog Eruris, garbage, and post occasional writing (that ends up here). I also have a [Twitter](https://twitter.com/MmeMacbethsSpot). I guess.

More than two months passed before Levi saw Erwin again, but this time they hadn’t passed in silence. He knew exactly when Erwin left the hospital, exactly when his gashes and broken ribs were fully healed, exactly when he’d retrieved the keys Levi had hidden under a rock in his front yard and picked up his bike. Erwin had texted. Short, succinct messages pinged up on his phone each time, each one giving him a reason to pause as it did.

He was sitting in Isabel’s garage after work, just beginning his night, idly swinging the first beer bottle by its neck, watching Farlan deal their next hands onto the faded olive card table when his phone buzzed in his back pocket. Reaching behind himself and shifting on the pile of tires, he fished the phone from his coveralls to look at it.

_I think it is time to pay my debt._

Levi shook his head as he read Erwin’s text. “Idiot,” he whispered, as the phone buzzed in his hand and another message appeared.

_Would you join me for a meal?_

It was hard to keep the corner of his mouth from tugging up, even as his eyes flicked over his friends and back to his phone.

 _When?_ He typed, hiding his covert conversation under the table as well as he could while fumbling his cards into his other hand.

_Tonight. Now._

“Now?” He mouthed silently, staring at the phone’s screen, completely ignoring Isabel’s sharp glances.

“Levi, quit touching yourself, it’s gross!” Isabel stuck out her tongue and winked cheekily.

Looking up with a start, Levi dropped his cards on the table.

“The fuck?!” He swore. “I’m not-”

“Ew, he’s not-” Farlan leaned forward, looking both disgusted and angry.

“Then why have you got one hand in your crotch?” Isabel teased. She ducked down and to the side, peering under the card table. “What are you hiding down there?”

“Nothing!” Levi insisted, both hands snapping onto the table’s top on instinct. His phone screen was lit, face up. Isabel only needed a second to be off her chair and standing, her quick fingers swiping his phone off the table. She flitted out of Levi’s reach just as quickly, thumbing through the brief conversation as her eyes glinted with mischief.

“Oooooooooh,” she teased, “someone’s got a daaaate. Toniiiiiiight. Someone’s getting some. Toniiiiiiight.”

“What?” Farlan was up almost as quickly, reading the texts over Isabel’s shoulder. “Levi, what is this? I thought we were playing poker tonight. You’re leaving?”

Reaching in vain at the two of his friends, trying to grab his phone back as Isabel darted out of his reach to hide behind Farlan when he stood, Levi sighed. “No. Come on. Nothing’s decided yet.”

“Yes it is!” Isabel answered, leering at the little screen she held. “Let’s see. Should I respond ‘If you’re hungry, why don’t you eat me?’ or ‘Yes, I can’t wait for your dick’? The first is kind of sassy, but maybe it’s too stupid?”

Levi shot across the floor, pushing Farlan aside as Isabel tapped away at his phone. He plucked it from her hand and turned his back to shield from further meddling, dreading what he’d find written on the screen. “I swear to God, Isabel, if you-” he muttered. His shoulders slumped in relief as he read the message she’d sent.

_Sure. Where?_

Frowning at her over his shoulder, Isabel blinked, giving him her best attempt at innocent puppy-dog eyes. He shook his head. The damage was done, and it wasn’t so bad after all.

“Looks like I am leaving.” He told both of them, pocketing the phone as he strode across the garage floor.

“Dammit, Isabel,” Farlan complained, “Why’d you have to ruin our night?”

“Ruin it? For who? I didn’t ruin anything,” Isabel shot back, the tone of her voice rising as they started to bicker. Their voices retreated as Levi left the echoes of the garage and stepped into the parking lot, zipping his half-open coveralls up over his thin undershirt in the cool night air. By the time he got to his truck his phone had buzzed again, and he knew where he was going.

* * *

 

As Levi’s truck sped along the flat roads, taking the big highway into the city and then branching off on another highway to head east, he wondered what the address Erwin had sent him would be like. From the map he knew it was in the foothills of the mountains that rose at the edge of the city, but he didn’t recognize the location as one of the fancy new developments that had sprung up on the slopes. It was entirely possible it was one though, Levi wasn’t exactly current with the upscale real estate market when his own bills were more than enough to worry over.

Leaving the highway on one of the last exits before the grade increased and the rode climbed up over the mountain, Levi’s truck began to travel down streets that wound with the elevation, taking the path of valleys and dry creeks rather than the strict cardinal grid so much of the city lay on. The roads were quiet, dark, and his headlights lit brush and dirt, scrabbly dry scrub giving way to tall, stout bushes as the elevation increased. He passed no homes, just dirt roads that wound off from the main one he traveled, snaking into the dark to cabins or trails, or who knew where.

As the road he traveled narrowed to a single lane and began to climb in snaking switchbacks, Levi grew even more curious. He didn’t think anyone lived here, wasn’t sure anyone could- he had been sure this was state land. But the road continued, fading to almost nothing, becoming a wide dirt path as a few pines began to stretch up around. He slowed, looking down at the map on his phone and back to the forgotten track, wondering if the little pin marking his destination was to be trusted. Just as he was about to stop, to send Erwin a message or call the man, a turn that had him moving at a crawl gave way to what he sought. Headlights shone off the gleaming metal of Erwin’s black motorcycle, the sudden brightness making him squint. He pulled up next to it, and turned off the truck, sitting in the dark for a moment to compose himself.

Erwin’s home was not what he’d expected.

A modest ranch house sat before him. Modern and clean, its lines were subtle and elegant. This was not some schmaltzy log cabin, not some adobe-themed playhouse of the rich. This was something different, its simple, clean boards fit together seamlessly. Not large or ostentation, the boxy, modern design played up the sharp lines, the stark look of the desert, while its plainness maintained harmony with the landscape. It did not force a man’s mark onto the wild desert slopes or mar the mountain’s face. Instead it retreated, a quiet dwelling, a place away from the world.

Levi stepped out of his truck, and looked up. The sky was wide above him, open and dark, the stars bright without a moon to outshine them.

“Levi.”

At the sound of his name, Levi turned, seeing Erwin approach, the front door to the ranch house open and the indoors’ warm, low light framing him from behind.

“You found it. I am glad. The way can be confusing.”

Levi nodded. “Wasn’t bad,” he responded, taking in Erwin’s appearance and stepping forward to join the man. For once he wasn’t wearing the black leather pants Levi had become familiar with, but the jeans that slung low on his hips and hugged his muscular thighs were no less mouthwatering. He looked more relaxed in a plain t-shirt and jeans, his black jacket slung easily over one shoulder. His features were still chiseled, his jawline still strong, but the seam of scar running through one of his brows was less pronounced, the carriage of his shoulders less intimidating as he stood in the door-frame, waiting for Levi to come closer.

“Come in,” Erwin urged, “I’ll be preparing dinner out back.”

“Out back?” Levi asked, following Erwin into the dimly-lit home as they walked through its mostly-open space to a large set of glass doors at its back side.

“Yes,” Erwin answered, indicating that Levi should continue outside, “I thought you might prefer it. The view is good.”

When Levi stepped out of the glass doors, into the clearing at the side and back of Erwin’s home, he knew exactly what Erwin meant.

The view wasn’t just good.

It was incredible.

Erwin’s home was built on a rocky outcrop, and looking away from the mountain the land fell away, revealing nothing but more sky. It felt endless, and free, high above the lights of the city’s grid, the scent of juniper carried on the breeze. Nothing but stars on so many sides, above and around, the darkness deep between them. A few pines clustered near the house, hiding it from view, giving the illusion of complete wilderness as he stepped off the few stones placed to form a meager patio and walked onto soft dirt. A fire licked orange and red up into the air in the clearing’s center, ringed with stones charred dark from many fires built before. It crackled, lights dancing, banishing the dark, warm tones moving over the land and trees at the clearing’s edges.

By the fire’s edge were blankets, thick, heavy ones woven to soften the ground below. Levi sat, staring at the fire, taking in his surroundings as he made himself comfortable. He noticed a few things on the ground by the fire, things Erwin had already prepared for his visit: a cast-iron skillet, metal plates, tin mugs, forks and knives.

In a few minutes Erwin emerged from the house, carrying a plate full of food and an uncorked bottle of wine. He sat next to Levi, arranging the simple items within reach before picking up a stick to tend the fire, pulling some of the burnt-down coals at its bottom to the side. A lump of butter went into the skillet from the plate he’d brought, and the heavy pan was placed in the glowing bed of coals. Levi eyed the uncooked food Erwin had brought: eggs, sausages, tomatoes, corn tortillas, and a small pile of chopped onions and green chilies. His mouth watered as he smelled the first hints of butter melting, the scent of food melding with smoky flame and fragrant mountain air.

“You’re cooking breakfast,” he commented, not sure what else to say as he watched Erwin pour wine into the tin mugs and accepted the one he was offered.

“It seemed fitting,” Erwin answered, raising his mug, “shall we toast?”

“To what?”

“Undeserved second chances?” The way his thick brows curved up as Erwin leaned over, the mug almost disappearing in his large hand, the complete ease and confidence in every line of his body made Levi’s neck warm. But surely, that was just the fire, he insisted to himself as he nodded and lifted his own mug.

“To second chances.”

A heavy clink accompanied the touching of their mugs, both of them uttering the strange toast, “Skål,” as one voice.

Levi tipped back the wine, almost coughing as a wave of aroma hit the back of his throat with the liquid. He blinked, sniffing the wine as he took another sip, this time investigating the unusual flavor. Spiced with things that made him think of deep, dark winters- cloves and cinnamon, a hint of the bitterness of citrus zest, and a heady sweetness that masked the presence of the alcohol, it lit a trace of warmth down his throat and flared in his belly. This was a drink for long nights, for celebration, one that reached the very tips of his fingers and danced in his nose.

“Is this spiced wine?” he asked, “You made it?”

“I did. I know it is not winter yet, but it is a good drink for a fire.”

 Levi nodded, watching the light play over Erwin’s profile as he began to cook their food. The sausages went into the pan first, their low crackle a tantalizing overture as their casings browned. Tending the fire and shifting the coals, keeping things hot, Erwin showed a different side of himself. His movements were subtle, never too much or too little attention paid to the tasks, and Levi’s mind wandered with his eyes. He wondered if Erwin cooked like this often, over dying coals, under the stars, alone on the side of the forbidding mountain.

Well, not completely alone, he reasoned, remembering the ravens and wolves. Still, he was struck by how deeply private Erwin was, how little he really knew of the man. With those thoughts turning in his mind, he gazed back at the fire, stretching out his legs to warm them. It jumped and danced, almost alive before them, the blaze mesmerizing in its drama. He followed the trail of flames upward, sipping his wine slowly, seeing the occasional spark vanish up into the air as it winked out above.

“I apologize,” Erwin spoke.

Levi looked over, unsure what it was that Erwin meant this time. He’d already apologized once before,  and Levi had no idea what more he could be referencing. The mess with Farlan was over and done. They’d fought; they’d won. Erwin had even made some efforts to smooth their earlier quarrels over.

“For?” Levi asked, thinking it best for Erwin to finish the thought.

“I am not making waffles. I realize that the meal I ruined was at Waffle House, but it is difficult to prepare waffles on a fire. I hope this will suffice.”

With a snort, Levi buried his face in his mug, pulling it out just as quickly as a too-deep breath made him cough. He rubbed at his nose with the back of his arm, trying to recover from the embarrassment. “It’s fine.” Eyes still watering a little from the spices, he turned to the fire, hoping he didn’t look as stupid and flustered as he felt, or that maybe Erwin couldn’t see it in the dark. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Erwin grin and Levi cursed internally. He definitely looked stupid.

Saying nothing more, Erwin pushed the sausages to the side of the skillet. The onions and chilies sizzled when they hit hot iron, releasing savory scents as they browned briefly. Erwin cracked eggs one-handed into the pan over the vegetables, and covered them, gently laying tortillas down in a layer. The tomatoes went in around the edges, next to the sausages to cook, skins puckering and splitting as they heated through. After minutes that felt like hours, watching the delicious food sizzle, its smell becoming more and more tantalizing as Levi’s stomach awakened and grumbled, Erwin removed the finished sausages and tomatoes, putting them onto plates. He flipped the remaining tortilla-egg omelet for a final few minutes of toasting, and cut the whole thing into two large slices that joined the rest of the food on their plates.

Placing his mug on the blanket, Levi accepted the warm food and utensils Erwin offered, his hunger undeniable as he admired Erwin’s handiwork. Everything tasted as good as it looked, the undisturbed egg yolks bursting when Levi’s fork found them, the hint of smoke infused in each bite.

It was a simple meal, but Levi was a man of simple pleasures, and everything had turned out just right. There was a slight crispiness to the tortillas, the sausages held their juices and fat well, and the acidic tang of the tomatoes was mellowed by heat. As Levi lifted forkfuls into his mouth, the food disappearing faster than he would have liked, he forced himself to slow down a little and enjoy it. Despite his efforts to hold back, the hearty fare drove his appetite on, leaving most of the plate finished in a few minutes.

“Levi, I haven’t told you everything.” At Erwin’s words Levi looked over, seeing that the other man had paused halfway through his food and was instead inspecting his fork. Light flickered off the tines from the fire, reflecting on the food and Erwin’s face.

“What do you want to tell me?”

Erwin looked at him, gauging the response. “Don’t you want to know?”

“Well, yeah,” Levi admitted, spearing an errant tomato and putting it into his mouth. Its skin popped when he bit down, sweet-salty flesh and seeds flooding over his tongue before he swallowed. “I want to know. Everything, I guess. Or whatever you’re willing to tell. But I know what it’s like to be… I don’t know, maybe… bound? By your past. And I figure, if this is a second chance, then, maybe I have plenty of time to find those things out?”

 Erwin nodded, the seriousness of his face softening as he smiled. It was a warm look, blue eyes crinkling at their edges, a quiet half-chuckle escaping parted lips. “You are right, Levi. I wish to hear your tales as well. Your friends, your stories, how you came into possession of such a very fine knife,” Erwin grinned, a hint of playfulness showing on his face, as Levi gave a frustrated huff, “But I do not want to wait forever, so for my part, I will begin now.”

“I’ve lived a long time,” he stated, eyes not wavering from Levi’s face as all trace of humor left it and the gravity returned, “Or rather, I’m aware of much passage of time, lives lived before, distant histories to which I bore witness.”

Levi put his plate down, trading it for his mug, sipping the strong spiced wine as Erwin spoke.

“I’ve had many names to go with my many lives. I have been called many things. Some of these names are familial, placing me within a context, stating those who came before, those who came after, their relationship to me. Some hold other meanings, names that were earned, names that were acquired. Some names my friends used, others were for strangers’ tongues, and still other were curses from the mouths of enemies.” Erwin paused, taking a breath and collecting himself.

“But, despite leaving those lives far behind, despite my poor memory of them, despite how they feel like the stories of a man I am merely acquainted with, I still carry their weight. I have made mistakes. I have killed. And died. I have made my enemies.” He looked at Levi. A simmer of blue glowed in his eyes, a trick of the firelight’s reflection or lit from within, Levi could not tell.

“And for a long time I did not want to place that burden on anyone but myself. But I have never met anyone like you. Not in a single one of my many lives. Of that I am certain.”

Blue bored into Levi’s soul.

“I would have you join me. Or, I will join you. Either one. Both.”

“Yes.” Levi answered, the word almost a prayer as he whispered it into the dark.  

The response must have been enough. Erwin’s gaze did not leave Levi’s face, and he swore he could read more in the depths of Erwin’s eyes than any words they’d shared.

The night grew quiet around them, with only the crackling fire and the rustle of wind through pines. And Levi watched the fire play on the planes of Erwin’s face as the other man turned back to his meal, releasing them. At some angles the light softened Erwin’s hard lines, but at others it deepened the drama of shadow, emphasizing his high, proud nose, his cheekbones, the squared jaw that made Levi’s wine taste like nothing as he gulped down a mouthful. Hardly noticing when his companion had placed his empty plate on the blanket, Levi continued to watch and listen. To the wind, to the fire, to the man who seemed to radiate gold and blue, reflecting back far more light than the meager flames, or even the silent stars above, could possibly spare. He picked at his food a little longer, chasing the last tomato around before putting it out of its misery and settling his used plate down on Erwin’s.

It was only natural that Erwin picked the dishes up, removing the things left between them, closing the space with an easy re-positioning of his body. Or perhaps Levi moved too. It was only natural that they both moved. More wine found its way into Levi’s mug. Erwin’s knee pressed against his leg. Levi told himself that it was the fire growing too warm on his face, that was why he leaned back, why his shoulder came to rest on Erwin’s chest, why he let an arm snake around his waist. It was just the fire. It was not the way his blood was quickening, not the way his hands felt clammy, not the ache of desire that spread from where Erwin’s fingers lay on his coveralls, the painful awareness of exactly how each one wrapped around his side and exactly how badly he wanted to feel them everywhere.

It was none of those things, Levi told himself, as his body thrummed with arousal.

It was only the fire.

So intent on keeping himself calm, so tortured by his own thoughts, Levi didn’t notice Erwin leaning over until he felt lips brush over his jaw. Disoriented in a moment of surprise, he pulled back, only to glimpse Erwin’s face for a second before another kiss found his mouth.

As soon as their lips touched, Levi fell in headfirst. Like a dam breaking, violent and overwhelming, the kiss washed over him, forcing the air from his lungs, claiming his senses and leaving him panting and clinging to Erwin when it finally ebbed. Still, he could not get enough of it, and their mouths met again, and again. The sweet slip of Erwin’s tongue, his hands fisting into Erwin’s t-shirt to pull them together, the grip Erwin’s fingers found in his hair were things Levi had waited too long for. He craved them deeply, and he told Erwin so with his mouth, pressing against Erwin’s, his teeth, tugging at Erwin’s lower lip, his tongue, sliding and flitting over Erwin’s. The response was intoxicating, making his head spin the way no wine ever could as Erwin kissed him back, just as recklessly, both wishing to drown in the flood.

Levi’s efforts to get closer, to kiss deeper, his frenzied hands grabbing at Erwin’s shoulders and neck maneuvered him into Erwin’s lap, his knees spread over the man’s hips. The new position was thrilling, the bulge in Erwin’s jeans pushing into his thigh and crotch as he felt himself growing hard, the rush of arousal renewed by large hands tightening on the small of his back. The grip in his hair jerked his head to the side as he whined. The brush of teeth over his neck made him shiver and roll his hips, pushing his growing erection against Erwin’s through too many layers of fabric. A moment later warm lips found skin, just below Levi’s chin, quick, wet kisses sucked down the center of his throat. Mingled with the press of teeth, they moved to the side as they traveled down the column of Levi’s neck.

Erwin’s hand left his back, reaching near Levi’s collar, finding the zipper of his coveralls and tugging it down as he sucked and nipped at his neck, decorating skin with aching red marks as it was uncovered. Levi’s back arched, his body pressing to Erwin’s chest, his hips making small, quick movements, seeking friction for the growing need in his body. He hissed, the sharp inhale turning to a gasp as Erwin unzipped his coveralls all the way, strong, cool fingers sliding over his abdomen, pulling up his undershirt before dipping deeper and brushing over his cock.

With a jolt of pleasure and surprise, Levi’s thighs tensed. Erwin stopped sucking at his neck, leaving a parting nip on his collarbone as he pulled away to look down with desire glowing in his eyes.

“You’re not wearing anything under this,” Erwin commented. “That’s not fair, Levi.”

“What do you mean?” Levi asked, licking his lips as he looked up at Erwin. The larger man had paused, his fingers tracing the length of Levi’s cock, stroking its sides and reaching into the coveralls until he held it cradled in his hand. Looking down, Levi watched Erwin’s fingers move slowly, gently, touching and caressing his cock. “I like going commando sometimes,” Levi mused, enjoying the way Erwin’s eyes were trained on him, the reverent touch, “it’s exciting.”

“Exciting indeed,” Erwin said, adjusting his grip on Levi’s cock and giving it a long, smooth stroke from head to base. He squeezed. The pressure felt delicious, exquisite, and Levi thrust once against it. Erwin’s fingers loosened on him and Levi sighed. The hand quickly left Levi’s coveralls and Erwin shifted under him, easing Levi out of his lap and standing before Levi could protest.

Looking up, more than a little annoyed to be left in his current state of undress and obvious arousal, Levi frowned.

“The hell, Erwin?”

“I am going inside. To get a few things.”

“A few things? Erwin, cut that shit out, we don’t need any-” Levi paused, realizing what Erwin was probably referring to as he stared at the large bulge in the man’s jeans and swallowed, remembering. “Whatever, I guess…” his voice came out quieter than he’d intended, “…just be quick.”

Erwin nodded, cheek muscles tight as he held back what Levi was sure was an amused grin. “Just the lube then,” he stated, turning and heading into the house as Levi groaned and flopped on his back on the blanket.

He lay for a moment, staring up into the dark sky, licks of flame rising into the air in the periphery of his vision, his body too hot with excitement. His nerves still thrummed from their kisses. Levi’s hand came up to his neck, fingers pressing lightly and then harder as he felt the tenderness there- Erwin had surely left marks.

Waiting like this was torture, especially after Erwin’s mouth and hands. He could still imagine them, almost feel them on his body. He was too warm, too tightly wound, too ready. Even with his cock freed from his clothing, standing proud and hopeful in the chilled air, he still burned with desire.

The quiet swish of a glass door opening and closing heralded Erwin’s return, and Levi sat up at the sound, quickly snapping to action and pulling off his boots and socks. He’d shrugged one arm of his coveralls off and was working on the other when Erwin’s deep voice stopped him.

“You’re taking all the fun out of it, Levi.”

“Then get your ass down here,” Levi grumbled, rolling his eyes, but he stopped wriggling out of his clothing, instead waiting for Erwin to take a seat on the blanket. He didn’t have to wait long- Erwin settled down next to him, sitting with his long legs off to the side, facing Levi. Lifting a hand to Levi’s face he cupped it, thumb resting on Levi’s chin, guiding them together into a kiss that fluttered over Levi’s lips. Soft and unhurried, Erwin’s lips felt plush against his own, and the kiss lingered, the barest hints of contact between their mouths as they brushed. The breath from between those lips skimmed over his mouth, turning damp skin warm then chill when they touched and parted.

After having so much, and wanting so much more, it was hard for Levi to stay still. Hard to accept such gentleness, hard to keep his pulse from racing away, and his body from taking over. His hands grabbed at Erwin’s shirt, trying in vain to pull him closer, to deepen the kiss. Still, Erwin held back, the only indication that he was as excited as Levi came from gentle hands that pushed Levi’s coveralls down, freeing his other arm, and slid below his thin undershirt, gathering it up as they rose. Their kisses broke as Erwin pulled his shirt off, only to rejoin just as slowly and sweetly as they had before.

Levi hardly noticed as Erwin leaned further over him. He hardly noticed as Erwin’s hand guided his shoulders down. He hardly noticed- until he felt the rough wool of the blanket against his back. Erwin’s hands travelled down his chest and over the muscles of his abdomen, reaching into his coveralls as they moved lower, finding the curve of his ass as they were sandwiched tight against it by unyielding fabric. Unwilling to be the only one shirtless, the only one with his dick out, and now the only one whose ass was being kneaded and squeezed, Levi wrestled Erwin’s t-shirt off, extracting large hands from his coveralls briefly in order to remove it. He reached for the button of Erwin’s jeans, tugging it open as Erwin’s head dropped, his body moving out of reach, lips pressing to Levi’s sternum.

Propping his upper body up on his arms, temporarily abandoning his quest to get Erwin naked as quickly as possible, Levi watched as Erwin traced kisses over him. He followed no obvious path, lips touching to the dusting of hair, lingering on patterns Levi could not see. Mouthing down and over, Erwin moved around the edge of Levi’s pectoral, licking the ridge and valley of his corded body, trailing warm down his side until Levi gasped. Pausing, Erwin kissed the spot he’d found, below Levi’s ribs, the motion and heat of his mouth sending jitters of pleasure though Levi’s side. Arms moving instinctively to protect himself, Levi had no chance to push Erwin away- instead his wrists were caught easily, his arms pinned to the blanket. Erwin continued, placing deep, aching kisses into his side, building an irresistible mixture of pleasure and pain. His muscles jumping, back twisting, Levi panted and gasped, hips bucking up to meet nothing.

Without warning, Erwin’s hands released him, instead finding his hips and pulling his clothing off. At the same moment the deep kisses stopped, Erwin’s lips leaving his side in favor of a high, straight nose drawing a path to his navel and down the dark trail of hair that spilled from it. Sure of where Erwin’s lips would be next, Levi felt a shiver run through him and end as a twitch in his cock. His hips left the blanket, rising as much as they could before Erwin pressed them back down. Just as the straight ridge of his nose passed by his groin, skimming the dip where Levi’s thigh met his body, just as Levi sucked in a breath of anticipation, Erwin sat up. He leaned away from Levi, reaching out and picking something up from the far edge of the blanket.

Frustrated and impatient, Levi opened his mouth and sat up, ready to say something, anything to spur Erwin into touching him. His mouth closed though when he saw what Erwin had, the slick coating of lubricant he was already spreading over his fingers. A little of the restlessness faded, and when Erwin turned back to him, Levi’s quick fingers hooked into the waistband of his jeans, dragging him over into a kiss and tugging them down at the same time. With a deep chuckle against his mouth, Erwin let him struggle, Levi’s dogged but imprecise efforts ending with Erwin’s jeans and underwear pulled down around his knees. Unable to reach any further, Levi grumbled, tugging at what he could reach of Erwin’s remaining clothing until the larger man obliged and removed the rest of it one-handed.

Both naked, Erwin’s hand slid up between Levi’s legs as they kissed. The brush of skin made Levi’s thighs part, making room for Erwin’s fingers to find their way between the cheeks of his ass. Their kiss turning sloppier, Levi licked into Erwin’s mouth, pulling the man down by his shoulders. Fingers pressed against his asshole, their slow motion too much for Levi to bear. He pushed his hips down onto them instead, groaning into Erwin’s mouth as they breached the ring of muscle. Their lips lost a beat, Levi’s head falling back on the blanket as Erwin gave a small gasp.

“Ah, Levi. You are tight,” he said, glowing eyes fixing Levi with a mixture of admiration and lust. Levi watched his mouth forming the words, relishing the way Erwin’s fingers felt. “Like the first time,” Erwin added, the thick, scarred brow above his right eye rising tauntingly.

“Yeah, well,” Levi began, moving his hips to try and meet Erwin’s hand, desperate for more, “it’s been a- AH!” he moaned, head tipping back as Erwin pressed in until his palm met Levi’s body. “It’s been a while since we fucked,” Levi managed, “102 days.”

“Is that so?” Erwin’s expression turned from taunting to thoughtful, a hint of something deeper playing at his features while he gazed down at Levi.

The pause ending, Erwin recovered, the two fingers inside Levi already beginning to rub and stretch. Their lips met again, kisses turning to lazy tongues gliding over each other, mouths open and hungry. Enjoying the slick in and out of Erwin’s fingers, the easy stretching and the way they pushed deep with each movement, Levi sucked at Erwin’s tongue, lifting his hips until his cock brushed against Erwin’s body. When they parted again, Levi was pleased to see a hint of color on Erwin’s neck, the same arousal he felt mirrored by the thick curve of Erwin’s flushed cock.

“You’re very eager.” Erwin commented, adding quickly, “I like it.” His fingers left Levi’s body, sliding out easily. Reaching for his cock, he spread the remaining lubricant over it, adding a little more from the bottle until its thin sheen gleamed.

“Let me make up for lost time, then, Levi,” Erwin offered.

Not knowing what else to say, Levi nodded dumbly. The hint of a smile he received in response made his head swim, a swell of something tight rising in a lump in his throat. Gently, Erwin pushed one of his legs to the side, lifting his hips a little to line up the head of his cock.

The pressure and stretch of Erwin’s cock opening him made Levi sigh long and low. It felt incredible, after all the teasing, after nothing but his memories to rely on for so many weeks, to get even just a taste of the fullness he craved. But as Erwin paused, mid-thrust, only the head of his cock in Levi’s ass, Levi felt his anxious need returning. He whined in protest as Erwin pulled back, leaving him empty, his blunt nails digging into Erwin’s shoulders. Slowly, the pressure at his entrance returned, stretching him again as Erwin eased in.

It was nowhere near enough. Levi’s back arched, his hips moving to meet Erwin, his hands tugging the larger man’s body down- but all for nothing. Erwin stopped again, barely having given Levi anything, large hands clamping down on Levi’s hips, holding them in place as he repeated the tortuous action. Pulling out, staring down, watching Levi whine and twitch beneath him, blue eyes blazing untouchable desire as he pushed back in- nowhere near enough. The shallow thrusts kept coming, their slow motion as Erwin rocked into him making his body tighten as his desire grew.

Gradually, Erwin’s cock pushed deeper. There was no burn, no discomfort this time as he was filled. Only pleasure accompanied the thrusts. It was different- fleeting, nothing he could catch and hold, but rather moments of ephemeral bliss that plucked at his nerves. Each thrust as slow, as sweetly tormenting as the last, when Erwin’s thick cock finally brushed over his prostate, Levi saw sparks. His neck bent back, his mouth opening, and the warmth of Erwin’s tongue met his exposed throat.

The weight of Erwin’s body settled onto him, pinning him to the rough blanket, making it impossible for Levi to do anything but accept the steady thrusts. His own cock ached, untouched, the occasional brush of skin and hair from Erwin’s abdomen over it shooting straight to his tight groin. The kisses Erwin sucked into his neck were as cruel as the measured thrusts of his cock. Roving over and across until his lips found places that made Levi shiver and groan, Erwin pressed his teeth to Levi’s sweat-damp skin.

“Touch me,” Levi pleaded, the words difficult to form as Erwin’s mouth pressed to his throat.

“Not yet,” Erwin whispered into his neck, biting at its base, speaking into his collarbone.

“Not- why? I- I need-”

Unable to finished the statement, unsure what he wanted to demand from the man pulling him apart in ways he hadn’t known possible, the rest of the words died on Levi’s lips. They were replaced by ragged breaths, matching the rhythm of shallow thrusts, each barely sufficient to sustain him until the next. He felt Erwin’s words as much as heard them as they burnt into his skin next to his racing pulse. “I want to savor this, Levi. I want to savor you. Every part of you.”

The sensation of being filled at such an unhurried pace, bit by bit, as the drag of Erwin’s cock against his prostate with each thrust drove him mad, was overwhelming. When Erwin was finally buried deep inside, he felt impossibly full, his body aware of every inch of Erwin inside of him, every subtle motion magnified. With shuddering breaths Levi sighed and groaned, the press of Erwin’s mouth on his neck and the presence of large hands wrapped around his waist confining him, constricting him. The frequency of Erwin’s thrusts increased, his lover no longer able to stand the pace he’d set earlier.

“Levi, you feel so good. I’m- I will not last much longer,” Erwin admitted, making Levi squirm. He didn’t think he could hold on longer either, not this way- full, aching to be touched, strung tight yet left wanting.

Erwin continued to thrust, deeply, in long fluid motions. “Levi, I promise, I have plenty more for you,” he murmured, the words passing over the wet spots he’d left on Levi’s quivering neck. Pushing deep, Levi felt Erwin’s hips stutter, a pulse of warmth releasing inside him. He groaned with it, Erwin’s last few thrusts jerky things that only made him shudder and clench, his own orgasm just beyond reach.

When Erwin pulled out the loss was almost unbearable. “Fuck!” he cursed, unsure whether he was disappointed or relieved. He gulped air into his lungs as Erwin sat up, the bulk of his lover’s body no longer pinning him to the blanket. Just as his breathing began to level, it caught again as large hands gripped his thighs. Pulling his legs into the air and folding them up, Levi twisted in Erwin’s grasp as his hips left the blanket.

“Fuck!” He repeated, this time an exclamation of surprise. Erwin’s head bobbed down, making his legs tense and jump against the tight grip. “What are y- OHH!” The quick swipe of Erwin’s tongue over the sensitive skin ringing his asshole cut Levi’s question in two, turning it instead to a loud moan. Clapping a hand over his mouth, Levi’s eyes went wide as he realized what was happening. A wet, slick touch circled his hole, and Levi felt himself clench on nothing in response. It flicked and pressed, teasing his skin, lapping over sparse hair, tasting him intimately.

He could jerk away, could pull his legs up or twist his back, but the prodding of Erwin’s tongue felt too good, too sinful to resist. “Disgusting…” he murmured into the skin of his hand, hardly believing what Erwin was actually doing, hardly believing how much he was enjoying it.

Erwin’s ministrations grew more enthusiastic, his tongue lathing over Levi, its stimulation making Levi’s already-tired body twitch. It circled again, prodding gently before dipping inside, making Levi abandon any attempts to keep himself from moaning and sending his hands searching for something, anything, to cling to for an anchor. They found discarded clothing and the silk of Erwin’s hair, tugging and twisting in mindless reflex as Erwin’s tongue pressed deeper. A grunt from above and Erwin’s head rose from between Levi’s legs, confusion muddling Levi’s thoughts until he realized he’d jerked Erwin’s hair harder than he’d meant.

“I can’t…” Levi muttered, saying whatever came to mind, “Fuck. I. Fuck.”

Erwin grinned, seeing that his lover was not upset, but overwhelmed.

“You like it?”

“Erwiiin,” Levi protested weakly.

“Do you like it?” Erwin repeated, drawing out the words. Levi’s eyes fixed on his lips as he spoke - the same lips that had just done unspeakable things to him seconds earlier, the same lips he wanted to continue doing those things until he couldn’t form another coherent thought. “Do you, Levi? I can stop.”

“No, no,” Levi panted, “don’t. Don’t stop.”

With a nod and a quirk of bushy brows, Erwin’s head dipped back down, burying itself between his legs in a rush. This time when Erwin’ mouth met him Levi was ready, ready to accept it, too tired and needy to process anything but want. Sounds came from his throat, ones he didn’t even hear, each louder and more meaningless than the last as Erwin’s open mouth caressed him. _Yes_ , his body sang. _More,_ it urged. The slick sounds, growing sloppier as Erwin pushed deeper, licking cum and sweat from his body, made him sigh as his ass clenched on the slippery softness of Erwin’s tongue.

Just as he thought it couldn’t get any lewder, any more perverse and wonderful, he felt something else pressing at his hole, easing in with little resistance. He sucked in a breath, realizing that the blunt pressure was Erwin fingering him, his hips jumping as he tried to thrust against the welcome intrusion. Sensing the need in Levi’s body, Erwin added a second finger, some of the satisfying stretch returning as it pushed inside. Sliding them deeper, Levi’s body throbbed as they brushed over his prostate, the wet licks stroking at the tender ring of muscle heightening his pleasure.

It felt impossibly good, every one of his nerves jangling with each thrust of fingers, each slip of tongue, each shuddering breath, each sound that reached his ears. Yet he lay, suspended. His momentum arrested again and again. Overcome, he felt barely able to process the pleasure Erwin stroked and licked and teased into his body as he unraveled under such sincere worship. And every new sensation came with the telltale reminder of how very close he was. Ready to tip over the edge and find release, but kept from tumbling into it even as his throbbing cock bounced and dribbled a clear string of precum onto his abdomen.

Just as Levi thought he could no longer hold on, as his brain buzzed and his body clenched the latest time in some uncountable number, Erwin took pity on him. He shifted, lowering Levi’s hips to the blanket, moving his mouth to the base of Levi’s cock, drawing a long stripe up its length as Levi watched and groaned. Touching the tip of Levi’s cock to his mouth, sucking the head into the wet warmth, Levi stared in disbelief. After waiting so long, enduring so much, Erwin’s mouth felt incredible, indescribable, and Levi couldn’t resist thrusting into it.

And Erwin let him, not protesting, only staring back at him with eyes that glowed and burned and urged him on. The fingers within him kept up their stokes, over his prostate and back again, as he jolted and quaked, forcing his hips to push his cock deeper between the lips that wrapped greedily around it. But it was difficult, so difficult to not lose the fingers inside him, to keep his hips from rushing forward and choking Erwin as his waning energy flagged and his control failed. Instead he thrust into Erwin’s mouth roughly, his movements crude and imprecise. He whined, so close to the edge, mesmerized by the bulge of his cock moving beneath Erwin’s cheek. Still he struggled, pushing deeper with what was surely too much force, unable to control his own shaking limbs.

When Erwin swallowed him fully, opening his throat and taking Levi’s cock to the base, Levi lost it. All sense of surroundings gone, Erwin engulfed him. Nothing but Erwin- above, below, and inside. The tightness in his body gathered and collapsed, spasms rocking tired muscles as ecstasy burst through his veins and popped across his vision in flashes and sparks. The rush of heat that followed, the clench of his muscles and flow of release pounded through him. They continued in shudders and twinges as Erwin wrung every last drop of pleasure from him, sucking and licking his pulsing cock until it grew too painful for Levi to endure any longer. When he pulled away, Erwin’s mouth and fingers leaving him just soon enough, Levi collapsed on the blanket, spent and still humming with lingering aftershocks of the thunderous orgasm.

Staring up at the sky, the waves of pleasure faded to nothing but eddies, pleasant glimmers that lingered. The sky was dark above, darker now as the fire burned lower. He could see the stars. Hundreds, thousands, unknowable numbers of them that made the entire idea of counting them laughable. Erwin’s hand came to rest on his body, a comforting weight pressed over his heart. Without thinking he reached up, laying his own hand over it. Drifting, seeing, letting the cool air soothe him.

Erwin lay down by his side, and his head turned, wanting to see his lover’s face. Blue eyes watched him. The hard edges of Erwin’s jaw and cheekbones were softened by the interplay of firelight and darkness, by the satisfied and effortless calm that radiated from the man. The hand on his heart- Levi gripped it a little tighter, and Erwin took the invitation, moving closer until their bodies touched. Adjusting to the difference in height, finding a way they fit together, Levi’s head lay near Erwin’s shoulder. This close he could feel the rise and fall of Erwin’s breath.

Comfortable, sleep starting to drag at the edges of his brain, Levi didn’t want to leave, didn’t want to go inside, didn’t even want to move. He just wanted to fade into the few constants that remained: the earth and sky and Erwin’s arms.

But last time Erwin had to go and it was probably best if he-

“Do you want another blanket?”

At the sound of Erwin’s voice, Levi craned his neck back, lifting his head to look at the man. There was no hint of discomfort, or regret, none of the troubles he’d glimpsed below the surface before.

The mask was off.

Erwin was sincere.

And god, he was beautiful.

Levi nodded, adding a quiet, “Yeah,” then a quieter, “thanks.”

The easy charm of Erwin’s smile was more perfect than any stars Levi had ever seen.

“Cover your ears,” Erwin murmured.

Confused, Levi obliged, plugging one ear and pressing the other to Erwin’s chest. Erwin took a deep breath, raising Levi as he filled his lungs and his hands came up to his face. The shrill whistle, one Levi knew was made with two fingers, split the air and echoed off the rocky slopes.

A wolf’s howl answered. Then another. Ravens cawed, and Levi almost felt like laughing.

Soft feet brought the creatures out, and Erwin sent one away, some indistinct instructions given as he ruffled its shaggy fur. The other lay by their feet, curling happily over Erwin’s, its haunches brushing against Levi’s toes. As Levi watched the wolf settle in, amazed by how companionable and dog-like it was, lying with them by the fire, the first returned.

It dropped a heavy blanket, softer than the ones they lay on, onto Erwin’s chest with a _whump_ and proceeded to try to wriggle in between them as Erwin spread it out. A few sharp words Levi was too distracted and exhausted to hear chided the beast, and once the blanket’s weight and warmth had settled over his body, Erwin’s shoulder made a good pillow.

Warm, content, the fire burning lower, its crackling played in his ears as he gazed lazily at glowing embers at its base. When he closed his eyes it continued to dance behind his eyelids. Falling into a world of quieter senses, the smoke and pines mingled with other scents. Things more human- sweat and skin, lingering hints of sex that clung to their edges, the golden hair his nose pressed into as his head lay on Erwin’s chest, a deeper animal musk, and the hint of something wild. Skin to blanket to fur to skin- surrounded by Erwin, by his embrace.

“Good night,” Levi sighed, words he couldn’t remember the last time he’d spoken like this.

“Sleep well, Levi,” Erwin answered. Then, after Levi’s breathing had slowed to little more than a hint of air, his body relaxing into Erwin’s, he added in a hushed whisper, “I am glad to have found you.”

Levi nodded sleepily.

Erwin had found him. He had found Erwin.

Either.

Both.

He held onto the words, letting them soak deep. His head grew heavy, his body warm. As he settled and sank, the world shrunk down.

Just Erwin. Just Levi. Just the matched beating of two hearts.


End file.
